By: Rainer Zitelmann

Dr Rainer Zitelmann is a German historian, sociologist and author. His latest book is "The Origins of Poverty and Wealth" https://origins-poverty-wealth.com/

All 66 Articles

The space economy will not succeed without private ownership

September 26, 2025

A space economy based on legal conditions that ban private property – like those of North Korea – will never flourish, says Rainer Zitelmann After the Moon Landing of 1969, manned space travel stagnated for over half a century. The space shuttle was far too expensive and never lived up to expectations. It was only [...]
The learning machine: How did Bill Gates become so successful?

September 6, 2025

Bill Gates’ new autobiography recounts an unusual childhood, says Rainer Zitelmann Bill Gates, who is turning 70 this October, recently released an autobiography exploring his childhood and formative years, Source Code: My Beginnings. The book’s key themes include learning, rebellion, ambition and competitiveness. One of the formative experiences he recounts is how he used methodical [...]
Be careful Trump. Deporting Elon Musk would hand space travel to China

July 2, 2025

Without Musk's SpaceX, the US would be second place to China. If Trump deports Elon Musk, he'll set US space travel back decades.
In Musk v Trump, the markets will win

June 6, 2025

City AM columnist Rainer Zitelmann has been predicting a rift between Musk and Trump ever since the two started working together. Now that this has happened, the French daily newspaper L’Express has spoken to him again. The interview was conducted by Thomas Mahler. “I never believed that the alliance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump would last,” [...]
How capitalism will conquer space

May 29, 2025

The world’s first trillionaire will be the head of a space-based business, predicts Rainer Zitelmann Space is the most undervalued industry in the world. It is particularly unappreciated in Europe, which has now fallen hopelessly behind the United States and China. The US carried out 153 launches last year, China 68 and Europe three. The [...]
‘Socialist’ Sweden has no problem with its billionaires

May 22, 2025

Sweden has a higher proportion of billionaires than the US, but far from causing anti-capitalist backlash the supposedly socialist nation welcomes its wealthy, say Rainer Zitelmann and Anders Ydstedt In an article entitled ‘Sweden: a socialist paradise overflowing with billionaires’, Ruchir Sharma implied this was a bad thing. Writing in the Financial Times about Sweden, [...]
Is freedom under threat in Germany?

May 7, 2025

Germany’s intelligence service’s labelling of the AfD as a “right-wing extremist group” in a classified report that’s had little scrutiny is deeply troubling, says Rainer Zitelmann Elon Musk and US Foreign Minister Marco Rubio have both voiced concerns about threats to freedom in Germany over the last few months, most recently in response to the [...]
Trump’s tariff madness is based on anti-capitalist zero-sum thinking

April 18, 2025

What is the real reason behind Trump’s punitive tariffs? Two beliefs that have frequently wreaked havoc in the past, writes Rainer Zitelmann.
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 [...]
Poland: The workers’ paradise overthrown by workers

March 6, 2025

Poland was one of the poorest countries in Europe, but since an uprising that overthrew socialism it is now set to become richer than the UK, says Rainer Zitelmann In recent years, I have visited Poland more frequently than any other European country, and I am always amazed by the country’s remarkable economic development and [...]

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By: Rainer Zitelmann

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