From Silk to Silicon: The Story of Globalization Through Ten Extraordinary Lives

The story of globalization, the most powerful force in history, as told through the life and times of ten people who changed the world by their singular, spectacular accomplishments.

This is the first book to look at the history of globalization through the lens of individuals who did something transformative, as opposed to describing globalization through trends, policies, or particular industries. From Silk to Silicon tells the story of who these men and women were, what they did, how they did it and how their achievements continue to shape our world today. They include:

• Genghis Khan, who united east and west by conquest and by opening new trade routes built on groundbreaking transportation, communications, and management innovations.

• Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who arose from an oppressive Jewish ghetto to establish the most powerful bank the world has seen, and ushered in an era of global finance.

• Cyrus Field, who became the father of global communications by leading the effort to build the transatlantic telegraph, the forerunner to global radio, TV, and the worldwide Internet.

• Margaret Thatcher, whose controversial policies opened the gusher of substantially free markets that linked economies across borders.

• Andy Grove, a Hungarian refugee from the Nazis who built the company—Intel—that figured out how to manufacture complex computer chips on a mass, commercial scale and laid the foundation for Silicon Valley’s computer revolution.

Through these stories Jeffrey E. Garten finds the common links between these figure and probes critical questions including: How much influence can any one person have in fundamentally changing the world? And how have past trends in globalization affected the present and how will they shape the future? From Silk to Silicon is an essential book to understanding the past—and the future—of the most powerful force of our times.

This is the first book to look at the history of globalization through the lens of individuals who did something transformative, as opposed to describing globalization through trends, policies, or particular industries. From Silk to Silicon tells the story of who these people were, what they did, how they did it, and how their achievements continue to shape our world today. They include:

• Genghis Khan, who united East and West by conquest and by opening new trade routes built on groundbreaking transportation, communications, and management innovations.

• Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who arose from an oppressive Jewish ghetto to establish the most powerful bank the world has seen and who ushered in an era of global finance.

• Cyrus Field, who became the father of global communications by leading the effort to build the transatlantic telegraph, the forerunner to global radio, television, and the worldwide Internet.

• Margaret Thatcher, whose controversial policies opened the gusher of substantially free markets that linked economies across borders.

• Andy Grove, a Hungarian refugee from the Nazis who built the company—Intel—that figured out how to manufacture complex computer chips on a mass, commercial scale and laid the foundation for Silicon Valley’s computer revolution.

From Silk to Silicon is an essential book to understanding the past—and the future—of the most powerful global forces of our times.

“This is a tale of globalization and leadership that is both sweeping and personal. By focusing on ten transformational people, it shows how individuals can affect the flow of history. It’s a guide to the future as well as to the past.” - Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin

“From Silk to Silicon creatively combines the impersonal forces of globalization with the very personal faces of biography in an engaging and thought-provoking story. Ranging over eight centuries of empires, exploration, and enterprise, Garten’s colorful histories portray how willpower and persistence can propel societies to new achievements—and he says the best is yet to come!” - ROBERT B. ZOELLICK, former president of the World Bank, U.S. trade representative, and U.S. deputy secretary of state

“Impressive, fascinating, and very creative. Jeffrey Garten draws on decades of experience in the modern world economy to tell the story of globalization and, in so doing, not only brings the creation of our present world into focus but also widens our understanding of how the world may well evolve in the future.” - Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Prize, author of The Quest, and coauthor of The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy

“Jeffrey Garten has brilliantly updated Thomas Carlyle’s Great Man Theory of History in his gallery of transformative figures, notably including a woman, who have spurred globalization. A tour-de-force–imaginative, informative and just plain fun to read.” - STROBE TALBOTT, president of The Brookings Institution, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, and former editor-at-large, TIME Magazine

“From Silk to Silicon is a most nifty work, as well as being serious history. Garten persuasively shows how, in the broad unfolding of events that brought us from the Dark Ages to the twenty-first century, individuals really did make their own history and changed things irrevocably. Here are case studies for business schools, lessons for CEOs, and a good read for the rest of us.” - PAUL KENNEDY, author of The Rise and Fall of The Great Powers

“By painting vivid portraits of ten visionary ‘doers’ who shaped the thousand-year history of global interconnectedness, Garten provides a rich context for thinking about today’s formidable current policy challenges. Not only do the book’s pages echo in today’s news, but they have much to teach about the importance of creativity, decisiveness, thoughtful risk-taking, and perseverance in effective leadership.” - Robert Rubin, Co-chairman, Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury

“Garten compellingly recounts how ten individuals helped shape the modern world, reminding us of the possibilities begat by transformative leadership.” - Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, former U. S. Secretary of State

“Succinct, erudite and entertaining, From Silk to Silicon is a most original account of the genesis of globalization.” - Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, former President of Mexico and Director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization