Bitcoin Protocol: Decoding Blockchain Foundations for the Digital Economy

Chapters Brief Overview:

1: Bitcoin protocol: Understand Bitcoin’s foundation and its secure, decentralized transaction logic.

2: Nervos Network: Discover Nervos’ layered architecture and how it extends blockchain flexibility.

3: Blockchain: Grasp blockchain's role as a transparent, tamperproof, decentralized recordkeeping system.

4: Colored Coins: Learn how digital assets can be embedded in Bitcoin using metadata for extended functions.

5: Firo (cryptocurrency): Study Firo’s privacybydefault approach and its innovative Lelantus protocol.

6: Bitcoin: Delve into Bitcoin’s history, purpose, and how it disrupted traditional monetary systems.

7: Monero: Explore Monero’s use of stealth addresses and ring signatures for financial privacy.

8: Privacy and blockchain: Analyze the critical tension between blockchain transparency and user privacy.

9: SegWit: See how Segregated Witness optimizes Bitcoin transactions and supports scalability.

10: Doublespending: Learn how Bitcoin solves the doublespending problem without centralized control.

11: Lightning Network: Explore this Layer2 protocol for fast, scalable offchain Bitcoin transactions.

12: Mining pool: Understand collective mining efforts and how they influence consensus power.

13: Distributed ledger: Examine ledgers with no central authority and their impact on information trust.

14: Proof of work: Investigate the consensus mechanism that secures the Bitcoin network through computation.

15: Ethereum Classic: Trace the ideological split from Ethereum and its significance in blockchain history.

16: Cryptocurrency: Define digital currency’s evolution, types, and role in decentralized finance.

17: Bitcoin scalability problem: Examine the limitations of Bitcoin’s block size and its growing demand.

18: Unspent transaction output: Understand UTXOs as the foundation of transaction validity and balance.

19: Cryptocurrency wallet: Explore wallet types and how they protect and manage digital assets securely.

20: Decentralized application: Learn how DApps leverage blockchain to bypass centralized platforms.

21: Zerocoin protocol: Delve into privacyenhancing cryptography that builds anonymous transactions.

This book is more than a technical guide—it’s a critical lens into the digital systems reshaping society. In the age of algorithmic governance and decentralized economies, understanding blockchain is essential for anyone engaged in political science and modern policymaking.