The author writes from a biblical, Christian perspective grounded in the Divine Right of kings, which also takes the “good shepherd” metaphor of a benevolent God to be properly reflected in a benevolent ruler who is supposed to serve the people. This therefore, is a very American book, grounded in false modern political theology.

However, this is merely the premise of an overthrown order, the benevolent priest-King.

The operational premise of the book is very incisive and convincing, that “international money power” first undermined community based polities and then became “a god unto itself.” Astle has crafted an indictment of the baking class, which is no stretch for a free-thinking post modern person to grasp.

After an initial reading, there are two aspects of Astle’s theory which strike this reader as revelations:

1. That it is money itself, rather than fiat currency, which linked wealth of the merchant elite forever with slavery, including the debt slavery which we today characterize as linked to inflationary manipulation of fiat currency.

2. That this was an entirely ancient phenomenon. Astle never gets past Rome, conducting his entire analysis in the ancient world.

I will cite Estle’s work in the concluding volume of Plantation America. In the meantime, below are some quotes to give the reader a sense of the author’s style, which si redundant but pleasing and is abbreviate in some instances below with an ellipse.

On modern academic attention to finance:

“In all the writings of these great and practical scholars, the workings of that mighty engine which injects the unit of exchange amongst the peoples, and without which no civilization as we know it can come to be, is only indicated by a profound silence.”

“Kings largely became the mouthpiece and sword arm of those semi-secret societies that controlled the material of money as its outward and visible symbols came to be restricted to gold, silver and copper… the fiat of the god in heaven which had been the decisive force behind that which brought about an equitable exchange, was replaced by the will of those classes controlling the undertones of civilization, leaders of the world of slave drivers, caravaneers, outcasts and criminals…”

“The law of the ruler… became merely a symbol raised before their gaze, in order that they might not look down and see the evil gnawing away at the roots of the Tree of Life… this internationally minded group, from the secrecy of their chambers, were able to make a mockery of the faith and belief of simple people.”

To this reader, that last line is a definition of civilization.

The author does place some beautiful ancient passages throughout the text, including this Egyptian verse:

“The gates of Egypt stand fast like Immutet

They open not for the Westerners,

They open not for the Easterners,

They open not for the Northerners,

They open not for the Southerners,

They open not to the enemy who dwells within.”