The rich have always fascinated, sometimes in problematic ways. Medieval thinkers feared that the super-rich would act ‘as gods among men’; much more recently Thomas Piketty made wealth central to discussions of inequality. In this book, Guido Alfani offers a history of the rich and super-rich in the West, examining who they were, how they accumulated their wealth and what role they played in society. Covering the last thousand years, with frequent incursions into antiquity, and integrating recent research on economic inequality, Alfani finds—despite the different paths to wealth in different eras—fundamental continuities in the behaviour of the rich and public attitudes towards wealth across Western history. His account offers a novel perspective on current debates about wealth and income disparity.
Alfani argues that the position of the rich and super-rich in Western society has always been intrinsically fragile; their very presence has inspired social unease. In the Middle Ages, an excessive accumulation of wealth was considered sinful; the rich were expected not to appear to be wealthy. Eventually, the rich were deemed useful when they used their wealth to help their communities in times of crisis. Yet in the twenty-first century, Alfani points out, the rich and the super-rich—their wealth largely preserved through the Great Recession and COVID-19—have been exceptionally reluctant to contribute to the common good in times of crisis, rejecting even such stopgap measures as temporary tax increases. History suggests that this is a troubling development—for the rich, and for everyone else.
Awards and Recognition
- A New Statesman Best Book of the Academic Presses
- An Australian Most Anticipated Book
"[A] fascinating history . . . Alfani shows how the super-rich have always bailed the rest of us out—until now."—The Telegraph
"The question that animates [Alfani’s] book also haunts our politics: What, exactly, do we want the rich to do, and how do we want them to be?"—The New Yorker
"Alfani’s magisterial As Gods Among Men offers a sweeping and welcome historical perspective on who the super-rich really are and how they got that way, blending data, biographical sketches and sociological observations reaching back to the European Middle Ages."—Martin Sandbu, Financial Times
"[An] exhaustive history of the super-rich through the ages."—Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary Supplement
"Alfani notes a pattern that unfolds 'repeatedly and systematically across history': when economic élites become ingrown, impenetrable, and 'insensitive to the plight of the masses,' societies tend to become unstable."—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker
"Alfani outlines how in the past, rich individuals contributed more to the common good in times of war, famine, plague and financial disaster. Today, that sense of shared responsibility is gone."—Rana Foroohar, Financial Times
"In this study of 1,000 years of economic inequality, the historian Guido Alfani looks not just at the means by which wealth was accumulated and kept—both largely unchanged—but also at the attitudes of less fortunate members of society towards the rich. Croesus-like riches have been seen as a sin, an obligation and a fact of life."—New Statesman
"If ever there was a moment to take stock of the relationship between the haves and have-nots, it is surely now, during the gilded age 2.0."—Geordie Williamson, The Australian
"The rich, like the poor, are always with us. In fact, over many centuries—as this wide-ranging and ambitious book tells us—the richest in society have captured more and more of the overall wealth of Western societies."—Roderick Floud, History Today
"Alfani’s writing shows the detail and meticulousness one would expect from a historian. He painstakingly presents facts and arguments, setting out who the rich are, how they have attained wealth, and how society has regarded them through the ages."—Carl Rhodes, The Conversation
"Provides a rich and vivid account of the history of the affluent and their interplay with society across centuries."—Noah Sutter, LSE Review of Books
"A terrific history about wealth and the Western world’s economic practices."—Library Journal
"[As Gods Among Men] explores phases and strands of Western history that have not been widely or deeply researched, with a view toward finding potential answers to today’s wealth-equity conundrums."—Tyna Thall Orren, Los Angeles Lawyer
‘Guido Alfani has, more than anyone, expanded our knowledge of inequality trends to encompass preindustrial times. In this masterly book, he offers an insightful long-run perspective and fascinating lessons for the future. A must-read!’—Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century
‘Surveying the full sweep of Western history, Alfani explores how the rich have gained, used and sometimes lost their wealth, and how their fortunes shaped society. His masterful synthesis reveals the deep roots of current inequalities.’—Walter Scheidel, author of The Great Leveler
‘Here is the broadest history to date of how the very rich are different from us, and how we have reacted to them. Over the centuries, wealth and power shifted between heirs, entrepreneurs and political power brokers. Sometimes we held them in esteem, sometimes in contempt. Sometimes we resented their consumption, sometimes we resented their savings. Guido Alfani interprets it all creatively and plausibly.’—Peter H. Lindert, author of Making Social Spending Work
‘Behind every wealth inequality metric used by economists, there is a story of how that wealth was made. But it is seldom told. In this veritable encyclopedia, Guido Alfani takes us on a journey from ancient Rome to the Medicis to Jeff Bezos to uncover how the rich are different.’—Branko Milanovic, author of the forthcoming Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War
‘Guido Alfani applies his unique eye to the history of the rich, across diverse western societies, over an impressive span of time. The innovative methodological approach is his own, the work is meticulous, and the storytelling is engaging. This volume is an invaluable resource for inequality scholars, not only for economists and historians, but for political scientists and sociologists as well.’—Janet C. Gornick, Director of the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, City University of New York
