The recent history of the United States is intertwined with that of the Western capitalist system, which can be told from different perspectives. On the one hand, there is the opulence and abundance of large capital holders and, on the other, the social inequality of a country in which 80% of the resources belong to a small portion of people.
This discussion is the theme of the miniseries “American Capitalism – The Cult of Wealth”, a production by Arte France that premieres exclusively at Curta! and on CurtaOn.
Divided into three episodes directed by Cédric Tourbe, the series begins at the end of the 19th century, when local elite families consolidate their monetary strength and social and political influence.
John Rockefeller and Rockefeller Jr. in photo shown in American Capitalism The Cult of Wealth
Then, he recalls the so-called “welfare state” in the middle of the 20th century, until the rise of new millionaires in Silicon Valley, at the turn of the 21st century.
The first episode, “The Millionaire’s Paradise”, shows a country experiencing the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, where tycoons such as John Davison Rockefeller, JP Morgan and Andrew Carnegie emerge. New York is growing visibly, as is the insurgent real estate sector, the steel, oil and automobile industries and other areas of activity of the great businessmen of the time.
However, these empires began to suffer some shocks with the implementation of anti-monopoly laws, taxation, the emergence of the First World War and, finally, with the stock market crash in 1929. Although these moments of crisis did not represent a downfall of these clans of North American elite, from then on two opposing blocs were formed: the “liberals”, in favor of the New Deal — the country’s economic recovery program — and the “conservatives”, who want back the system that was in force before 1929. The debut in Curta! is on the Society Fridays theme day, March 1st, at 10:30 pm.
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