When Money Destroys Nations
How Hyperinflation Ruined Zimbabwe, How Ordinary People Survived, and Warnings for Nations that Print Money
Written by Philip Haslam and Russell Lamberti.
Hyperinflation is a series of bad decisions that starts when governments go into too much debt.
Zimbabwe was once one of the most prosperous countries in Africa, known as the continent's breadbasket. Then came land seizures, reckless spending, and the money printers. Philip Haslam and Russell Lamberti tell the story of how Zimbabwe's dollar was destroyed through hyperinflation, weaving together the personal stories of ordinary people who lived through it with a clear-eyed analysis of the policy failures that caused it. The book's final section turns the lens on developed nations, asking whether the same monetary recklessness that ruined Zimbabwe could unfold in economies that print reserve currencies. Written before COVID-era money printing, its warnings have only grown more relevant.