The History of Usury: The Killer of Nations
·7 min read
What is Usury? Usury—the charging of interest, or of interest deemed excessive—has been practiced, regulated, condemned, and defended for more than four thousand years. Across civilizations, it has
What is Usury? Usury—the charging of interest, or of interest deemed excessive—has been practiced, regulated, condemned, and defended for more than four thousand years. Across civilizations, it has concentrated wealth, generated debt peonage, fueled social upheaval, and occasionally contributed to the ruin of polities. The title of this lecture is deliberately stark because historical sources themselves treat predatory or unrestricted lending as a solvent of communal solidarity and a transfer of
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