Power Without Glory
Published in the early 1950s, Frank Hardy's Power Without Glory has as its central theme the corruption inherent in capitalism. John West in the early 1890s sets up an illegal tote in the poor working-class suburb of Carringbush. As he becomes wealthier, he becomes more and more ruthless, stopping at nothing in his pursuit of power and wealth.
For all that other business people shun him, West is seen as little different from those capitalists who make their money "respectably". They too do crooked things to maintain their power, even sending thousands of young men to die in the trenches during World War I. The only difference is that their robbery is legal.
Most of the characters are based on real people. John Wren, who dominated the Victorian ALP in the '30s, was the model for West. Whether Wren was as corrupt as alleged in Power Without Glory is perhaps now of interest mainly to historians. At the time, though, Hardy's book got mixed up in Cold War politics. He was charged with criminal libel but acquitted.
The corruption outlined in Power still exists. This is a damming indictment of capitalism and its tendency to corrupt. It's worthwhile checking out your local second hand bookshop to get a copy.
...Sean Lennon