From Silk to Silicon

Synopsis

The story of globalization, the most powerful force in history, as told through the life and times of ten people who changed the world by their singular, spectacular accomplishments.This is the first book to look at the history of globalization through the lens of individuals who did something transformative, as opposed to describing globalization through trends, policies, or particular industries. From Silk to Silicon tells the story of who these men and women were, what they did, how they did it and how their achievements continue to shape our world today. They include:* Genghis Khan, who united east and west by conquest and by opening new trade routes built on groundbreaking transportation, communications, and management innovations.* Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who arose from an oppressive Jewish ghetto to establish the most powerful bank the world has seen, and ushered in an era of global finance.* Cyrus Field, who became the father of global communications by leading the effort to build the transatlantic telegraph, the forerunner to global radio, TV, and the worldwide Internet.* Margaret Thatcher, whose controversial policies opened the gusher of substantially free markets that linked economies across borders.* Andy Grove, a Hungarian refugee from the Nazis who built the company--Intel--that figured out how to manufacture complex computer chips on a mass, commercial scale and laid the foundation for Silicon Valley's computer revolution.Through these stories Jeffrey E. Garten finds the common links between these figure and probes critical questions including: How much influence can any one person have in fundamentally changing the world? And how have past trends in globalization affected the present and how will they shape the future? From Silk to Silicon is an essential book to understanding the past--and the future--of the most powerful force of our times.y did each leave? What do their stories tell us about globalization today? What do they imply for the future?With the Internet tying the world together in ways that would have been unfathomable just a few years ago, with the economic ups and downs of China and other emerging nations whipsawing international markets, and with terrorism causing the largest flows of refugees since the end of World War II, a fresh way of thinking about globalization could not be more urgent. That is exactly what From Silk to Silicon provides.Praise for From Silk to Silicon"This is a tale of globalization and leadership that is both sweeping and personal. By focusing on ten transformational people, it shows how individuals can affect the flow of history. It's a guide to the future as well as to the past."--Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin"From Silk to Silicon creatively combines the impersonal forces of globalization with the very personal faces of biography in an engaging and thought-provoking story. Ranging over eight centuries of empires, exploration, and enterprise, Garten's colorful histories portray how willpower and persistence can propel societies to new achievements--and he says the best is yet to come!"--Robert B. Zoellick, former president of the World Bank"Impressive, fascinating, and very creative. Jeffrey Garten draws on decades of experience in the modern world economy to tell the story of globalization and, in so doing, not only brings the creation of our present world into focus but also widens our understanding of how the world may well evolve in the future."--Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Prize"Jeffrey Garten has brilliantly updated Thomas Carlyle's Great Man theory of history in his gallery of transformative figures, notably including a woman, who have spurred globalization. A tour de force--imaginative, informative, and just plain fun to read."--Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution"From Silk to Silicon is a most nifty work, as well as being serious history. Garten persuasively shows how, in the broad unfolding of events that brought us from the Dark Ages to the twenty-first century, ind...

Copyright:

2016

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9780062409997

Related ISBNs:

9780062409973

Publisher:

HarperCollins

Date of Addition:

03/01/16

Copyrighted By:

Jeffrey E. Garten

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Politics and Government

Submitted By:

N/A

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.