Our country's economic evolution is inseparable from the nature of American life itself, posits Jonathan Levy, who reveals how capitalism in America has changed. Beginning with the Revolution, Levy traces the idea through the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and the Great Depression. With the advent of greater government control over the economy, Levy notes how this has nonetheless led to the inequalities and the financial chaos of the 21st century. "Prodigiously researched, elegantly written, and relentlessly interesting…. [Levy] deftly weaves strands of economic, business, political, social and intellectual history into an engaging, accessible narrative."—Washington Post