Beschrijving

Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free by Ellen Hodgson Brown explores how the modern monetary system—particularly in the United States—is structured in ways that benefit private banking interests, often at the expense of the general public. The book exposes how virtually all money (apart from coins) is created as debt via loans from private banks, which then charge interest on the money they create—an arrangement that, according to Brown, fuels compound debt, inflation and increasing financial vulnerability.

Beyond critique, the author proposes alternatives that draw on historical examples (especially from early American history) and economic ideas of figures such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Brown argues that re-regulating money creation, expanding public banking, and restoring more transparent, debt-free money systems are key steps to breaking free from what she terms the “web of debt”.

The book serves as both an accessible critique of complex monetary mechanisms and a call to informed action. While not solely for economists, it is particularly relevant for anyone interested in how money, credit and finance shape society and public policy. Its strength lies in linking abstract monetary theory to lived financial outcomes for individuals and nations alike.