Rainer Zitelmann

Asuncion, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Bucharest, Gdansk, Hanoi, Kathmandu, Montevideo, Memphis, New York, Santiago de Chile, Seoul, Tbilisi, Tirana, Ulaanbaatar, Zurich – these are just a few of the stops on Rainer Zitelmann’s world tour. The historian and sociologist traveled to thirty countries on four continents in twenty months, covering over 160,000 miles. The author presents an exciting mix of personal impressions, historical research, results of international surveys and, above all, hundreds of conversations with economists, entrepreneurs, journalists, politicians and ordinary people in these countries. This book gives readers far deeper insights into these thirty countries than any tourist visit can, presenting the societies and their backgrounds, exploring each nation with its history and future. From the perspective of an intellectual freedom lover, this book shows how poverty and wealth arise. Zitelmann also meets leading figures from the global libertarian movement in Europe, the United States, Latin America and Asia. Like never before, readers are given an understanding of the ideas and activities of this movement, which recently rose to prominence with the election of Javier Milei as President of Argentina.

A rigorous defense of free markets and open enterprise in the tradition of Adam Smith.During the 20th century, Vietnam and Poland were both victims not only of devastating wars, but also of socialist planned economies that destroyed whatever war hadn't already. In 1990, Vietnam was still one of the poorest countries in the world, while Poland was one of the poorest in Europe. But in the three decades since then, both countries have drastically improved their citizens' standards of living and escaped the vicious cycle of national poverty. In this book Rainer Zitelmann identifies the reasons behind the sensational growth of both nations' economies, drawing out the lessons that other countries can learn from these two success stories. To explain the source of their success, he returns to Adam Smith's 1776 treatise, The Wealth of Nations: the only way to overcome poverty is through economic growth, Smith wrote, and economic freedom is the crucial prerequisite from such growth. Developments over the past 250 years have proved Smith right. The market economy has led to a global decline in poverty unparalleled in human history. Compare this to the fifty years of "development aid" in Africa that have only entrenched the status quo, and it is clear which approach yields superior results. Despite these strides, almost ten percent of the world's population still lives in extreme poverty. So, what measures actually help to alleviate poverty today? Through a wealth of data and stories from the everyday lives of Polish and Vietnamese people who experienced reforms, Zitelmann demonstrates the persistent relevance of Smith's ideas to economic flourishing in the 21st century.

Rainer Zitelmann examines the ten most common objections to capitalism: capitalism leads to hunger and poverty, to rising inequality, to unnecessary consumption, to environmental destruction, to climate change and wars. Capitalism, its critics say, prioritizes profits over humanity, creates dominant monopolies, and undermines democracy. Zitelmann scrutinizes each of these arguments in turn and reveals the critical flaws that debunk them. He offers counter arguments to each charge, deploying a wealth of historical evidence and eye-opening facts to prove that it is not capitalism that has failed, but a century of anti-capitalist experiments.The second part of the book explores popular perceptions of capitalism in Europe, the USA, Latin America and Asia and is based on a specially commissioned Ipsos MORI poll of 21 countries, the results of which are presented here for the first time.

Best-selling author and historian, Rainer Zitelmann, shows how contrary to popular opinion capitalism is a force for good, enabling prosperity, alleviating poverty and improving people’s lives around the world. A companion volume to the author’s seminal work, In Defence of Capitalism, this book explores the achievements of capitalism across five continents, and demonstrates its success in providing a true platform for economic growth and development. In the words of the subtitle, capitalism is not the problem, but the solution. With foreword by Arthur B. Laffer and Brian Domitrovic.

Rainer Zitelmann's book explores how people with disabilities accomplish the extraordinary in life and set milestones that seem almost impossible even to most people without disabilities. Zitelmann profiles 20 unique individuals, all of whom have achieved far more than the average, often almost the superhuman, even though their disabilities supposedly endowed them with few opportunities and made them, in many respects, dependent on the people around them.The book reveals the secrets of success and the power of the mind for everyone. We learn what makes a person great: it is the ability to transform one's weaknesses into strengths and overcome supposed limitations.As Saliya Kahawatte, the blind man whose life story inspired the film My Blind Date with Life, writes in the foreword: "If you like, you can consider this book a treasure trove of human diamonds. We all know that every rare gem was once an ordinary piece of coal that withstood tremendous pressure over a long period of time, becoming ever harder and purer, and only achieving its unique brilliance through precise cutting and polishing. It's time to go diamond prospecting "The Author: Rainer Zitelmann is a historian, sociologist and multiple bestselling author, who published 26 books. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages around the world. In recent years, he has written articles and been the subject of interviews in leading media such as Wallstreet Journal, Forbes and Newsweek.

It’s capitalism’s fault. That’s the usual answer, whether it’s climate change, environmental degradation, rising inequalities, poverty, greed, war, or just the turning of productive humans into suggestable and addictive consumers. Capitalism prioritizes profits over humanity, say its critics, generating monopolies and undermining democracy. But do the charges against capitalism stack up, or are they merely myths in need of debunking? Dr Rainer Zitelmann examines the 10 most commonly raised objections to capitalism. And, in each case, he reveals the critical flaws that debunk arguments against an economic system that has taken billions out of poverty, raised living standards for the vast majority and improved the health and life expectancy of all who live under it. Against each charge, Zitelmann offers a counter argument using a wealth of evidence: proving that it’s not capitalism that’s failed but a century of anti-capitalist experiments. In Defence of Capitalism provides capitalism’s defenders with the facts and arguments they need to counter (usually false or misinformed) anti-capitalist allegations.

Using a previously unparalleled range of sources, this book reconstructs Hitler’s thought processes and objectives. It shows that Hitler developed a concept of “NATIONAL SOCIALISM” in which anti-capitalist ideas played a far greater role than has previously been assumed. Zitelmann shows that Hitler’s anti-capitalism became increasingly radicalized and that he eventually became an admirer of Stalin’s Soviet planned economy.

The art of self-marketing has never been more important. Best-selling author Rainer Zitelmann shows how 12 of the most successful self-promoters of all time achieved their extraordinary fame. The celebrities featured come from a variety of backgrounds from politics to sport, fashion, show business and science. Each has their own technique and their own lessons to offer - essential reading for anyone wanting to create their own successful personal brand. "Skillfully combines meticulous analysis with entertaining mini-biographies and practical insights with gossip... Even those who don't want to be on the biggest stage will want to read about how others have done it." OK! Magazine (Germany) "The book portrays twelve completely different celebrities who have more in common with each other than they would probably have ever thought themselves. These illustrious figures serve as models and examples for anyone who wants to learn the tricks of the marketing trade - to get ahead professionally and privately, to build a brand and engage with people on the internet and elsewhere." GRAZIA "If you want to build a brand, this is your bible." ERFOLG Magazine

What do people in the United States and Europe think about the rich? There are several thousand books and articles on stereotypes and prejudices directed at women, people of various races or nationalities, and even the poor. In contrast, there has only been sporadic research into stereotypes about the rich and no published comprehensive, scientific study on the topic--until now.Negative prejudices and stereotypes have repeatedly been used to justify the exclusion, expulsion, persecution, and murder of minorities who have been scapegoated at times of social crises. The 20th century is full of examples of wealthy people, including capitalists, kulaks, and other groups, who were victims of deadly persecution. These were exceptional situations but, even in moderate forms, prejudice against social groups harms society as a whole--not just the rich--through economic or physical destruction, and declining prosperity.In The Rich in Public Opinion: What We Think When We Think about Wealth, historian and sociologist Rainer Zitelmann examines attitudes about wealth and the wealthy in four industrialized Western countries: Germany, the United States, France, and Great Britain. Consisting of three parts, this book first surveys the literature about stereotypes and prejudices. Zitelmann then reports on never-before-seen data commissioned by the polling firm Ipsos MORI and from the Allensbach Institute, which conducted identical surveys of residents of four countries regarding various aspects of their attitudes toward wealth. Lastly, The Rich in Public Opinion looks at the portrayal of the rich in media and film.People often admire the wealthy, but Zitelmann shows that people can also envy them--a sometimes toxic envy that can put lives at risk. This book aims to examine how we think about a minority that, while undeniably powerful, can still be the subject of negative stereotypes, prejudice, and scapegoating-- often with dire effects for us all.