A true understanding of how the Economy and Economic Cycles really works will not be possible without a complete understanding of how Money and Credit is created under the current Fractional Reserve Banking Monetary System.
Here is a link to Part I or a two part video series on how Money and Credit is created.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2550156453790090544#
If anyone is interested, the video is available through here in a DVD format.
Quote "The process by which banks create money is so simple that the mind is repelled" economist John Kenneth Galbraith