Dollar, Euro, Ruble, Yuan, Yen, Pound, Franc. The world of money is full of names. When traveling, you exchange rubles for lira, then for dirhams, then for bаты. Why can't there be one currency for everyone? It's convenient. But each piece of paper represents sovereignty, history, economic policy, and a bit of magic. Let's figure out where different currencies came from, why they are needed, and why the dollar is still the main one but not eternal. Why can't there be one currency for everyone The idea of a single world currency is as old as the world itself. Keynes proposed it in the 1940s. But there are three big problems. The first is sovereignty. Each country wants to manage its own economy. To issue as much money as needed, raise rates, devalue during a crisis. If there is a single currency, all these levers go to a supranational body. Countries are not ready. The second is the different level of economies. Germany and Greece have the same currency - the euro. But Germany is richer and more efficient. It turns out that Germans subsidize Greeks. In a single world currency, poor countries would drag rich ones down, and the rich would not want to share. The third is crises. If there is a common currency, a crisis in one country immediately spreads to all. You can't devalue, you can't print money alone. You have to tighten your belt and wait for help from neighbors. The Eurozone experienced this in 2010-2015. Painfully. Therefore, 180 countries - 180 currencies. Plus local ones: the dollar in Zimbabwe, the euro in Montenegro, the Russian ruble in Abkhazia. It's a mess, but it's alive. How currencies appear Each currency has its own history of birth. Often - together with the state. Declare independence - you need your own money. Print it. But sometimes it's different. The euro appeared not with a new state, but with a treaty between the old ones. 1999 - cashless euro, 2002 - coins and banknotes. Immediately 12 countries refused to use their marks, fra ... Читать далее