Lords of Finance
by Liaquat Ahamed
Mentioned once across 1 show · first heard May 2026 on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.
The general take
Ben McKenzie recommends Lords of Finance as a great book that explores how central bankers in the 1930s stuck to the gold standard, and he credits their adherence to it as a significant factor in worsening the Great Depression.
About
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize “A magisterial work.” — New York Times Book Review “The rich and charming story of the end of the world.” — TIME “Highly readable.” — Financial Times “This absorbing study of the first collective of central bankers is provocative, not least because it is still relevant.” — The Economist It is commonly believed that the Great Depression that began in 1929 resulted from a confluence of events beyond any one person's or government's control. In fact, as Liaquat Ahamed reveals, it was the decisions made by a small number of central bankers that were the primary cause of that economic meltdown, the effects of which set the stage for World War II and reverberated for decades.
Who said what
Ben McKenzie👍 Recommends
…book about central bankers and the gold standard during great depression
“And there's a great book called Lords of Finance by Lilaquah Ahmed that talks about the central bankers of the 1930s and their adherence to the gold standard really did contribute significantly to how bad it got.”
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard — Ben McKenzie (on cryptocurrency)at 49:30
Listener reviews
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