Rothschild: Things never change
The Rothschild dynasty is, without a doubt, the pioneer of international finance.
Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the first of the family to open a bank, was honored by Forbes as the seventh most influential businessman of all time and the inventor of modern banking who introduced “concepts such as diversification, rapid communication, confidentiality and high volume.”
Simply, Mayer understood and was willing to spend money in order to make money.
But the family’s rapid rise to wealth has earned them much animosity throughout the annals of history. A quick Google of ‘Rothschild family’ reveals a vast number of conspiracy theories surrounding the allegedly unsavory means used to attain their fortune, the breadth of their connections, and their influence over major world events.
To be fair, many elements of the family’s history are unsettling enough to pique mass interest. For instance, Mayer’s primary manner of hoarding the dynasty’s wealth was to institute a policy of keeping friends close…and family even closer.
But, as William Langley notes, one question looms large:
How did a down-on-its-luck brood of German street traders emerge, seemingly overnight, to become the prime facilitators of modern capitalism, the wielders of immense political power and, as the historian Niall Ferguson puts it in The House of Rothschild, the richest family in all of history?
Here’s the answer; the tale of how Mayer and his sons established an international banking dynasty.
Check out how the early Rothschilds built their extravagant fortune>>>
Written by Lucas Kawa, and published at the Business Insider, December 23, 2012.
