ABEL GRIMMER - TOWER OF BABEL - PAGE 9 Four Families That Built the Modern World Destiny or Fate? - Four families, Rothschild, Morgan, Rockefeller and Warburg, shaped every empire you live under today. - Presidents, kings, even wars, or should we say, especially wars. - They all came to these bankers when gold ran out and empires bled dry. - Today, we'll uncover how these secret bankers built modern power and why their influence moves every market you touch. Shattered - When empires fell, their thrones shattered, but their debts stayed alive. - Someone had to own those debts. - Someone outside the flags, above the borders, beyond the kings. - The story begins in the smoke and steel of the 19th-century, a world built on blood and financial balance sheets.   Kingdom - Europe is cracking under the weight of its own ambition. - Britain rules the seas, France rebuilds from revolution, Germany races toward unification, and America, young and restless, starts to taste power. - Every empire needs capital, and every crown needs a banker willing to take the risk no government can. Information highway - But this world doesn't run on gold alone, it runs on information. - The speed of a message decides the fate of markets, even wars. - In London, one family perfects this idea, using couriers, coded letters, and carrier pigeons to outpace armies. - The Rothschilds, five brothers stationed across five cities, bound by blood, secrecy, and an unspoken rule. - Trust the family, lend to the state, control the flow. Control -  By 1815, they controlled more money than most nations. - Nathan Rothschild financed both the Duke of Wellington and Britain's war chest against Napoleon. - When the Battle of Waterloo ended, his messenger reached London first, before the British government did. - He made trades no one else dared, turning risk into empires. - Within days, his fortune multiplied, and Europe's future shifted in silence. Gilded Age - Then, comes America. - Across the Atlantic, another family sees opportunities, not in bonds, but in steel and oil. - J.P. Morgan emerges from the smoke of the Gilded Age, commanding capital, like a general commands troops. - Rockefeller builds the first industrial monopoly. - Warburg arrives from Hamburg with the blueprints for the modern central bank. Systems - These men don't compete for wealth, they build systems that decide it. - The governments they fund change, the borders they draw move, but the families remain invisible, indespensible, untouchable. - And yet, as the world moves toward modernity, one question burns quietly under every deal they strike. Runs - Who really runs the game, the rulers we elect or the bankers they owe? - Because before America had a president, before Europe had peace, these families already had something far more lasting. - Control of credit itself. Money Wise The Rothschild Dynasty - It begins with five brothers, five cities, and one plan that rewired global finance. - Frankfurt, London, Vienna, Naples and Paris; five capitals, one family network, moving money faster than any government alive. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons Mayer Amschel Rothschild - Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1743-1812) started it all in the late 1700s from a cramped house in Frankfurt's Jewish ghetto. - He trades rare coins an antiques to local nobles, learning from what they value most, discretion and access. Fred Trump as Mayer Amschel Rothschild Frederick Christ Trump Sr. 1905-1999 10/11 6/25 Real estates Mayer Amschel Rothschild 1744-1813 2/23   9/19 Money changer - When he begins lending to princes, he doesn't ask for payment in cash. - Instead, he asks for favors, contacts, and inside information and that becomes his family's true currency. Five Arrows - Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the founder, had five sons who established the international banking dynasty: Amschel Mayer (stayed in Frankfurt), Salomon Mayer (Vienna), Nathan Mayer (London), Carl Mayer (Naples), and James Mayer (Paris). - They were known as the 'Five Arrows,' each heading a key European financial center, though Amschel Mayer died childless, passing his share to his brothers' sons. Tower of bricks - By the early 1800s, his sons were sent across Europe, each managing a branch of what would become the first international bank. - They used coded letters, couriers, even carrier pigeons. Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Nathan Mayer Rothschild - Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777-1836) was the boldest. - He built Britain's financial lifeline during the Napoleonic Wars. - In 1815, at Waterloo, his messenger reached London 24 hours before the government learned that Napoleon had lost. - He quietly bought bonds, while everyone else sells in panic because they thought he was selling. - Two days later, when the truth spread, the value of the bonds soared and he earned what modern day economists estimate as the largest 1-day fortune in history. Canal - From that point, the Rothschild network became Europe's nervous system. - They financed railroads, canals, and the Bank of England gold reserves. - Kings borrow from them before going to war. - Nations rely on their trust, even more than their own treasuries. - Even Karl Marx, who despised financiers, called them, 'The bankers of kings.' Family business - The family's influence spread beyond money. - They influenced peace talks, funded infrastructure from Egypt to India, and stabilized currencies when industries fell apart. - Yet through every upheaval, revolutions, crashes, wars, they maintain one rule, the family never goes public, never separates wealth from blood. Combined GDP - By 1850, their combined fortune equaled the combined GDP of several European nations. - They aren't just bankers anymore, they are the silent architects of modern finance. - However, across the Atlantic, a new empire of credit is forming, one built not on dynasties, but on industrial might. GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product, which is the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country's borders over a specific period (like a year or quarter) and is the key indicator of a nation's economic health and size, showing if it's growing or shrinking. It's calculated by summing consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports (exports minus imports). (Assistant) Lined up - Its architect won't wear a crown of inheritance, but a suit of iron and smoke. - So how does a single American banker rise high enough to rival Europe's oldest fortune? - By 1924, New York trembled, stocks fall, banks fall, and people line up on the streets demanding their savings. - There is no Federal Reserve, no government rescue plan, just panic, and then one man steps in, J.P. Morgan. Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons J. Pierpont Morgan - 1870 - J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) at age 70, commanded respect like a general in battle. - He gathered America's top bankers inside his library on Madison Avenue, locked the doors, and told them they weren't leaving until the crisis was over. - For 2 sleepless nights, he moved millions between collapsing banks, personally underwriting loans to keep credit alive. Panic - By morning, Wall Street breathes again and the press calls it 'The Panic of 1907.' - But the truth is much simpler, one man just ran the U.S. financial system from his home. - Morgan's power began from precision, in the 1890s, he merged railroads into giants, creating monopolies that knit America together. - He helped form General Electric, U.S. Steel, and AT&T, companies that still define modern life. Steel industry - In 1901, when Morgan bought Carnegie Steel for $480 million, it became the worlds first billion dollar corporation. - Even the U.S. Treasury kept its reserves in his vaults, however, his dominance raised fear in Washington. - Lawmakers whispered that one man held more money than the U.S. government itself. - In 1912, Congress launched the Pujo Committee to launch what they call the 'money trust.' The Pujo Committee was a United States congressional subcommittee in 1912–1913 that was formed to investigate the so-called "money trust", a community of Wall Street bankers and financiers that exerted powerful control over the nation's finances. (Wikipedia) Harris & Ewing, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons House of Representatives - The Pujo Commission was formed after a resolution introduced by congressman Charles Lindbergh Sr. for a probe on Wall Street power. - Congressman Arsène Pujo of Louisiana was authorized to form a subcommittee of the House Committee on Banking and Currency. - Testimonies in the Pujo investigation exposed how Morgan and a handful of bankers controlled over $20 billion in assets, roughly half the American economy at the time. - The scandal sparks reform and 2 years later, the Federal Reserve Act passed, promising to alleviate future financial panics. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons Paul Moritz Warburg - German American banker - Ironically, the system designed to limit bankers influence was built by ideas shaped by bankers themselves. - Including a banker from Germany named Paul Warburg (1868-1932), who quietly drafts its framework in secret meetings on Jekyll Island in Georgia. - Morgan died in 1913, his personal fortune less than his reputation. - His art collection fills the Metropolitan Museum in New York, but his true legacy lies in the laws that followed him. Hamburg - After Morgan, banking no longer just funded the economy, it designs it. - And the next man to rewrite those designs came from a European dynasty with a very different vision for America's future. - In 1902, Paul Warburg arrived in New York from Hamburg - He wasn't loud, he wasn't famous, but he carried an idea that would change America forever. Banking dynasty - Warburg came from a respected German banking dynasty and he found America chaotic. - Every state issued its own currency and interest rates swung wildly, and banks collapsed without warning. - To Warburg, it looks medieval and he felt Europe had something far smoother, a central system that managed credit, set rates, and stopped panics before they spread. - America he believes, must have one too. - But this is all money changer big banker smoke and mirrors. Georgia island - Warburg began writing, page after page of essays, plans and letters, all arguing that America needed a central reserve institution. - Most politicians ignored him, but of course some bankers listened. - But the truth is, America did need a central bank, just not run by private banks owned by wealthy families like we ended up with. - Then, in 1910, six men including Warburg, Senator Nelson Aldrich and representatives from Morgan's empire; Frank Vanderlip, Henry Davison, Charles Norton and Benjamin Strong combined forces. - They group secretly boarded a train to Georgia and told reporters they were going duck hunting. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building - In truth, they were headed to Jekyll Island to design the most powerful financial system in history. - Behind closed doors, they drafted what became the blueprint for the Federal Reserve, a network of private regional banks, guided by a single central board of governors. - It looked like government oversight, but in reality, it tied the economy to private banking expertise. - Warburg's hand was everywhere in the final design. Congressional - By December 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law. - In 1913–1914, the Pujo Committee findings inspired public support for ratification of the 16th Amendment that authorized a federal income tax, passage of the Federal Reserve Act, and passage of the Clayton Antitrust Act. - The U.S. now becomes fully immersed into the greedy money changers system. The Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 (Pub. L. 63–212, 38 Stat. 730, enacted October 15, 1914, codified at 15 U.S.C. §§ 12–27, 29 U.S.C. §§ 52–53) is a part of United States antitrust law with the goal of adding further substance to the U.S. antitrust law regime; the Clayton Act seeks to prevent anticompetitive practices in their incipiency. (Wikipedia) Hard life - Within months, the Federal Reserve system is up and running. - When the First World War broke out in 1914, the Federal Reserves ability to manage currency and credit allowed America to fund both domestic growth and European allies. - It proved that Warburg's money changing model worked, but it also fueled suspicion. - By the 1920s many Populists had figured out that a foreign banker controlled America's money. Their cause - Warburg withdrew from the public eye, but his system remained as the foundation of every dollar printed ever since, and now we are obligated to a huge federal banking debt owed to a privately controlled central bank. - Then decades later, another family dynasty took the blueprint and their empire grew through oil, politics, and 'philanthrophy' (money they stole from you to fuud their causes). - The name Rockefeller became the symbol of wealth inself, their abundance that is. Thick and black - So what happens when one family's wealth becomes the backbone of an entire global economy? - It started with oil, thick, black and buried under Pennsylvania soil. - In 1859, the first well struck and within a decade, one man turned it into an empire. John D. Rockefeller - His name was John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) and by the age of 31, he controlled 90% of America's refining through his company, Standard Oil. - Every barrel that burned in a lamp, every factory that ran at night, every train powered by kerosene, all traced back to Rockefeller's refineries. - By 1880, he earned more each day than most Americans do in a lifetime. John D. Rockefeller as Ausgust Belmont Sr. John Davison Rockefeller 1839-1937 7/8   5/23 Ausgust Belmont Sr. 1816-1890 12/8   11/24 German-born American banker Rocky Road - Planning and structure - What set him apart was structure, he built his empire like a machine. - Every part is efficient, every rival was absorbed, and his motto was simple, 'Competition is a sin.' - However, his success sparked outrage and muckrackers published stories of crushing small refineries, fixing prices, and using secret rebates with railroads. Muckrakers were Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) investigative journalists and writers who exposed corruption, scandal, and social injustices in government, big business, and society, using detailed reports in popular magazines to spur reforms. Though President Theodore Roosevelt coined the term pejoratively, they embraced it as a badge of honor for tackling issues like child labor, unsafe conditions, political graft, and monopolistic practices, driving changes in laws and consumer protection. (Assistant) Monopolies - In 1911, after years of lawsuits, the U.S. Supreme Court broke Standard Oil into 34 smaller companies. - However, that breakup backfired because those pieces, Exxon, Chevron, Mobile, later became giants of their own, all feeding back into Rockefeller's legacy. - By then, the family wealth reaches levels never seen before. - Adjusted for inflation, it equals over $400 billion in today's value. Change direction - Yet the Rockefeller's weren't satisfied, they moved from oil into banking, politics and philanthrophy. - The Chase National Bank merged into Chase Manhattan and their donations funded the construction of universities, medical research centers and the construction of the United Nations headquarters in New York!!! David Rockefeller - David Rockefeller (1915-2017) became the face of the modern dynasty. - Through the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, he connected diplomacy, business and government. - President's would seek his advice and Prime Ministers would visit his office. - When he met China's Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) in 1973, it helped reopen trade between the two nations. - Therefore, by the late 20th-century, the Rockefeller name stood for both capitalism and coordination. - A blend of wealth and global influence that few families ever reach. The Trilateral Commission, founded in 1973 by David Rockefeller, is a private, non-governmental forum for leaders from North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific (originally Japan) to discuss global policy issues, promoting cooperation and understanding between these industrialized democracies, with members from business, politics, media, and academia influencing international affairs through policy study and discussion. (Assistant) Empires fell - But as one dynasty worked through open power, another worked from the shadows, coordinating central banks, writing unseen rules, and surviving every war untouched. - So who exactly built the system that now even empires must obey? - When the world went to war, their ledgers decided who survived and between 1914 and 1945, borders changed, cities burned and empires fell. - However, the same families signed the checks that kept the machine running. Purchasing agents - In London, the Rothschilds organized Allied bonds worth billions, helping Britain stay afloat through their First World War. - Across the Atlantic, J.P. Morgan & Company became the official purchasing agent of war materials for the British and French governments. - They channeled nearly $3 billion in supplies before America even entered the fight. - That made Morgan the single largest lender in world history at that time. Fueled - Meanwhile, oil flowed endlessly from Rockefeller's Standard Oil subsideraries, some fueling Allied tanks, others reaching Germany through neutral countries like Switzerland. - Because finance never sleeps, especially in wartime. - As the saying went in those circles, 'money has no flag.' Two-sided - Paul Warburg faced his own storm, while he advised the U.S. Treasury, his brother, Max Warburg, advised the German govenment. - Two brothers, one helping Berlin, the other, Washington, both shaping financial strategy on opposite sides of the same battlefield. - When peace finally came, over $400 billion in war loans had been issued by private banks, each with interest that stretched for decades. - Every war ended with a signature on their stationary. Institutions - But what followed next, was far more lasting, the transformation of family fortunes into institutions that would outlive their founders. - The Morgans merged into J.P. Morgan Chase, and the Rothschild houses evolved into Rothschild & Company, and the Warburgs helped build Deutsche Bank. - Rockefeller money expanded into global investment networks from Chase Manhattan to massive philanthropic trusts. Legacy - By the 1970s, these names no longer belonged to individuals, but to systems, multinational structures run by boards, algorithms and asset managers. - Their wealth no longer sat in vaults, but in porfolios spread across every continent. - Today, their legacy hides in plain sight. - When you swipe a bankcard, invest in a fund, or fill a tank, fragments of those old empires still move silently through the system. Built banks - They built banks, then they built the rules those banks followed. - Because the real story isn't how they made money, it's how they made money matter(s). - And the real story of how that idea evolved into something far smarter, faster and harder to escape. - History hides its architects well, their systems built the world you live in. Grimmer

All that glisters is not gold

Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice