Download or read book The Great Wave written by David Hackett Fischer and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1999 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fischer has examined price records in many nations, and finds that great waves of rising prices in the 13th-, 16th-, 18th-, and 20th centuries were all marked by price swings of increasing volatility, falling wages, a growing gap between rich and poor, and an increase in violent crime, family disintegration, and cultural despair. 109 graphs & charts. 7 maps.