Merchant, Soldier, Sage

Who rules the world? David Priestland's remarkable book proposes a new approach to history, reimagining it as a constant struggle for power between three groups: the commercial and competitive merchant, the aristocratic and militaristic soldier, and the bureaucratic 'sage'. When one becomes too dominant, the result is economic crisis, war or revolution, and eventually a new caste takes over.

The twentieth century was scarred by these violent shifts and now, as the merchants who rule our age look increasingly discredited, change seems certain again. Merchant, Soldier, Sage is both a brilliant history, and a masterful dissection of our current predicament.