For Profit. A History of Corporations

How is it that a generation of intelligent and responsible young people are devoting every moment of their lives to serving the interests of corporations?

Corporations influence our lives, our economies, and even our politics: from traditional manufacturers to new technological giants. Some call them the engines of progress and prosperity, while others claim that they are profit-driven and harmful to us.

Professor William Magnuson proves that both views are correct. The history of the corporation is, above all, the story of people: the merchants, bankers, and investors who, over time, have shaped the landscape of our modern economy. And among its central characters are both the brave, powerful, and brilliant, and the treacherous, cunning, and cruel. Sometimes these traits are found simultaneously in the same person.

And while corporations do not always behave with dignity, their purpose is noble, because from their beginnings in the Roman Empire they were called to promote the common good. And by reviving this spirit of civic virtue today, corporations can help create a society in which all of us (not just shareholders) benefit from corporate profits.