The real story behind the creation of the game might never have come to light if it weren’t for the determination of an economics professor and impassioned anti-monopolist named Ralph Anspach.įed up with the OPEC oil cartels and gas shortages in the 1970s, Anspach created “Anti-Monopoly,” which retained the fun of the original game but made it clear that the monopolists were the bad guys. His game became a best-seller, Darrow became a wealthy man, and Parker Brothers was saved from bankruptcy.

According to the official origin story, during the Great Depression, an amateur inventor named Charles Darrow sketched out the now-famous Monopoly board on a piece of oilcloth on his kitchen table.Ĭhapter 1 | Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History It may be only a game, but the popularity of Monopoly speaks volumes about who we are and what we value.Ĭontrary to the folksy legend spread by Parker Brothers, Monopoly’s secret history is a surprising saga that features a radical feminist, a community of Quakers in Atlantic City, America’s greatest game company, and an unemployed Depression-era engineer.

It is an exhilarating game of no-holds-barred competition and brutal domination of your opponents, a celebration of greed and accumulation of wealth with only one player standing at the end. Its iconic board and game pieces - from the diminutive robber baron Rich Uncle Pennybags to the Get Out of Jail Free card to the tiny thimble and top hat - are instantly recognizable. Few rituals are as all-American as a game of Monopoly.

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