Does capitalism make a few rich and many poor – or increasingly fewer poor? Since the financial crisis, it has become common to blame capitalism for almost all the world's ills. In response, the renowned economic historian Werner Plumpe presents the history of capitalism, which demonstrates how many problems the capitalist market economy has solved – and only these. For capitalism is not a system but a way of economy where consumption is at the center – specifically, the consumption of those with little wealth, who have been left to their fate for centuries. This is the only way mass production can be economically successful. This has drawn early criticism, but Plumpe shows how the capitalist mode of economy has responded and continues to evolve. Capitalism is as consequential as few other ideas, and we cannot escape it, not even through refusal. It is neither based on an evil core nor is it merely the sum of undesirable side effects of our societal system. Plumpe portrays capitalism as a perpetual revolution – a movement of constant innovation and renewal, which is as good or bad as we make it. Capitalism is and has always been what we make of it.