The world's leading economist and expert on inequality presents a concise and surprisingly optimistic story of the human quest for equality despite crises and disasters. It's easy to become pessimistic when we hear about inequality every day. But in his new book, Thomas Piketty reminds humanity that the grand sweep of history gives us reason to be optimistic. Piketty elegantly and succinctly analyzes the great ideas that have defined the modern world and colored it with shades of "bad" and "good": the rise of capitalism, revolutions, imperialism, slavery, war and the construction of the welfare state. The history of equality is the history of violence and social struggle, interspersed with regressions and disasters. But despite all this, as Piketty shows, human societies have moved steadily toward a more equitable distribution of income and assets, reductions in racial and gender inequality, and greater access to health care, education, and civil rights. This book is both an excellent introduction to the innovative ideas developed in Tom Piketty's monumental Capital in the 21st Century and an incredibly valuable stand-alone study. The original design is preserved in PDF A4 format.