This program, hosted by Peter Jay, focuses on Europe's hunger for wealth as it relates to the exploitation of the New World and the First Industrial Revolution. Expert commentary on the Aztec civilization, Europe's bullion famine, England's cottage industries, and expanding markets in North America-combined with the prescient writings of Daniel DeFoe and Bernard de Mandeville-lay the groundwork for a deep understanding of modern economics. The lesson? Spanish plunder, unproductively invested, was soon depleted, whereas British commercial enterprise paved the way for sustainable economic growth.