This gets posted from time to time on HN but I'd never noticed it. It explains the economy in the a fundamental way.

The economy moves macroscopically through:

  - productivity growth
  - short term debt cycle
  - long term debt cycle

These movements are described through:

  - transactions
  - credit / debt
  - interest rates
  - central government
  - central bank
  - interest rates
  - printing money
  - government bonds

Which then explains:

  - deflation
  - recession
  - deleveraging
  - inflation
  - reflation
  - 'lost decade's

That and more. Not bad for an entertaining 30 minutes with great animations.