Customer Reviews

The Rothschilds: a Family Portrait

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A history of the world's richest family which is at times nauseatingly sycophantic. Frederic Morton (real name Fritz Mandelbaum) was given permission to scour the family archives and write a family history. That there were certain conditions imposed upon this access is obvious from the text; the book could well have been called "My heroes the Rothschilds"!

Leaving the sycophancy aside, this is a compelling story, all the more so given modern "conspiracy theories" about the Rothschild family owning most of the world's wealth. Morton spells out from family archives how Nathan crashed the London Stock Exchange (although it is not made clear whether or not this was by chance or design) in 1815. And Morton is coy in his treatment of the aftermath of this event:

"We cannot guess the number of hopes and savings wiped out by this engineered panic. We cannot estimate how many livened servants, how many Watteaus and Rembrandts, how many thoroughbreds in his descendants' stables, the man by the pillar won that single day."

Nathan himself believed that with that move he came to control the British money supply, and with it the whole of the British Empire. That wealth begets wealth is well known; if less than 2 centuries ago one family essentially owned the British Empire there is a very real chance that that fortune is now many times larger than it was then. Indeed, there are economists today who believe the Rothschild family owns or controls all of the world's central banks bar 5 (Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Libya). 6 and 7 on that list were, respectively, Iraq and Afghanistan. What is beyond doubt is that they have controlled the Federal Reserve since its creation (indeed, it was their creation!) and officially the Bank of England since at least the mid-1800s

Of course, there are many who will claim that to suggest the above is "anti-Semitic". Anyone who does so is either ignorant of history or pushing an agenda. Facts are facts; Morton's family portrait spells out enough of those to suggest there is more than a grain of truth in many of the conspiracy "theories". And given the fact that, again as spelled out by Morton, the basis for the Rothschild fortune was embezzled or stolen money, it needs to be said that there can be few criminals in history who have gained quite as much from their crimes as the Rothschild family!

Recognizing that this title is now 50 years old, it provided what I sought; a general historical biography of the Rothschild family, especially the origins of the family wealth and how the various branches of the family are related and, as of 1961, the status of each family branch. The author acknowledges he is a novelist and not an historian, so the book should not be looked upon as an academically rigorous dissertation, nor does the author claim complete impartiality. The family gave him largely unfettered access to family archives and considerable personal time for interviews. He is appreciative for the access, and not prone to criticize. Moral, ethical judgements about the family's activities are largely left for the reader to make.

This history is especially important to the World. The role of this family and its full status is not public knowledge. This is a key opening in establishing basic details. Expect more to follow in the next 50 years.

The brilliance of the Rothchild family shows how
from the Ghetto, they were able to build the foundation
of a financial empire. What is even more staggering
are the references to the prevalent anti-semitism in Germany in the 1700's.
This read is recommended!

What a fascinating story of the rise of one family from a ghetto in Germany to fabulous world wide wealth. Five brilliant sons were the key to accumulating wealth in an era before cell phone or email. True , it was also before income taxes, which as we all know would be a big boost to anyone. Ther is a foldout geneology in the back which traces the family dedicated to family and family money management. It is told in a witty style that makes it a delight. In the center are pictures of this interesting family.