On this day in 1637: The tulip bubble bursts Opinion Tulip fever is still remembered as a parable about the evils of capitalism and mass hysteria, but what really happened? Asks Eliot Wilson It is one of those half-remembered, quarter-understood facts to illustrate the ineffable foolishness of human nature. In the first half of the 17th century, the zenith of the Dutch Golden Age, the [...]
Are the rich getting richer because the poor are getting poorer? Opinion Adherents of the zero-sum belief that the rich are only rich because they have taken something from the poor cannot explain why the number of poor people fell massively while the number of rich people rose massively, says Rainer Zitelmann “The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer” – few statements have [...]
Zohran Mamdani’s victory must be a wake-up call to freedom’s defenders Opinion The election of Zohran Mamdani signal the start of the anti-capitalist backlash. It must not be allowed to succeed, says Rainer Zitelmann The election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City sends a powerful message worldwide. In the very heart of global capitalism, a socialist has won. Frank Sinatra once sang in his [...]
On this day: Margaret Thatcher’s 100th birthday October 13, 2025 Britain owes everything to the woman who saved it from socialism, says Rainer Zitelmann Margaret Thatcher would have been 100 years old today. She served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for nearly 12 years, making her the longest-serving Prime Minister of the 20th century. No other political leader has ever implemented tax cuts, [...]
The Debate: Should businesses put purpose above profit? April 16, 2025 It's capitalism's age-old question, should businesses prioritise purpose over profit? Two writers hash it out in this week's Debate.
Don’t ask if Gary Stevenson’s story is true, ask why it’s popular April 3, 2025 Gary Stevenson is young, angry and everywhere – but the veracity of his anti-capitalist rhetoric is less important than why it’s finding such an eager audience, says Eliza Filby You may have seen his turn on Question Time, or his two-and-a-half-hour appearance on The Diary of a CEO – watched by over 3m people. Perhaps [...]
Rory Sutherland: Capitalism is ‘unbelievably tedious’ and ‘needs a rebrand’ April 1, 2025 Capitalism is "unbelievably tedious" and should be rebranded for people to fight for it, marketing veteran Rory Sutherland has said.
Nepal: Where making a profit is a crime March 13, 2025 Maoist policies have made the Himalayan nation of Nepal one of the poorest in Asia, says Rainer Zitelmann On December 11 2023, I landed in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Nepal lies between China and India and has a population of around 30m. Kathmandu is located in a valley in the middle of the Himalayas [...]
Vietnam defeated America, can it beat China too? February 27, 2025 'Escape from China' is the watchword in Vietnam for businesses offering an alternative to Beijing's communist encroachment, says Rainer Zitelmann.
What happened when Latin America’s most free economy elected a socialist? February 20, 2025 Chile was the most capitalist country in Latin America and had prospered as a result. But since the election of socialist Gabriel Boric in 2021, all that has changed, says Rainer Zitelmann My trip around the world took me to Chile twice, in May 2022 and November 2023. After you’ve been to countries like Colombia, [...]