154. Fiat History with Niall Ferguson

Eminent historian Niall Ferguson joins us to discuss the history of fiat money, its relation to war, its development over the past century and the prospects for bitcoin. Why did Britain join World War I, and was it a wise choice? How eager were the British to join war? We debate whether it was the gold standard, or the suspension of the gold standard, that prevented recovery post-WWI and laid the foundation for World War II. And we discuss Professor Ferguson's views of bitcoin and its future ...