At the end of the century, the creation of the European Central Bank heralded Europe's renaissance as a global economic superpower. Possessing greater independence and wider powers than any previous central bank, the ECB governs a currency that circulates among 290 million Europeans and oversees an economic bloc matched only by the US in size and might. Based on his access to key players, journalist Matt Marshall offers a first-hand account of the intrigues and in-fighting surrounding the creation of the ECB. He also provides an authoritative analysis of the Bank's operations and prospects and of all the related issues of European and global power--financial, economic, and political.