In this book, renowned Norwegian economist Erik Reinert shows that rich countries became rich through a combination of government intervention, protectionism, and strategic investment, not through free trade. According to the author, it was precisely this policy that was the key to successful economic development, from Renaissance Italy to today's countries of Southeast Asia. Showing that modern economists ignore this approach while insisting on the importance of free trade, Reinert explains this by the split in economics between the continental European tradition, oriented towards comprehensive public policy, on the one hand, and the Anglo-American tradition, oriented towards free trade. - on the other hand. Written in accessible language, the book is of interest not only to specialists in economic history and theory, but also to a wide range of readers. Translation from English How Rich Countries Got Rich... and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor by Erik S. Reinert