We’ll discuss chapter 3 of “A Brief History of Equality”, by Thomas Piketty: “The Heritage of Slavery and Colonialism”. Before the 18th Century, Europe, the Ottoman Empire, and China had comparable wealth, technology, and access to critical resources: cotton and wood. Western Europe soon depleted its stock of resources, and--lacking the political integration and labor mobility of the other regions--was forced to rely on imports from Northern & Eastern Europe, and from newly acquired colonies in the Americas, Africa, and India. The rest, as they say, is history—with clear facts, trends, and implications.

If I had just read this chapter in 10th Grade World History, the whole thing would have made a lot more sense. This chapter is 42min, so we’ll need to split it.

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Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

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