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/

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Oxfam is peddling myths about wealth ahead of Davos

January 20, 2026

Every year Oxfam tries to establish a link between the rising wealth of the rich and increasing poverty ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos. But no such link exists, says Rainer Zitelmann There are more and more billionaires in the world, and their wealth keeps growing. This emerges from a report that Oxfam, [...]
Trump’s protectionism is a threat to freedom

January 9, 2026

Donald Trumps approach to Vietnam reveals the conflict of interest between his trade policy and his private business interests, says Rainer Zitelmann Donald Trump has said it time and time again: “To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff. It’s my favorite word.” Over the years, Trump has expressed opposing opinions on [...]
Are the rich getting richer because the poor are getting poorer?

December 9, 2025

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

November 5, 2025

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 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 [...]

MPs press competition watchdog to probe live music industry’s ‘dominant’ firms

What drinking alcohol at football could tell us about sporting fandom

Is this Europe’s weirdest holiday? Bog swimming in Estonia

By: Rainer Zitelmann

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