3 most influential families from around the world
There are rumours that only 200 families or less control Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, this number fell to only five in the USA. Can you believe these five families could be rich and powerful enough to shape international policy or even control the world economy? These families have actually been the targets of many conspiracy theories, including the Illuminati, a secret society from Germany. But what makes them so influential? Come, let’s find out together.
The Rothschild Dynasty
The Rothschild dynasty is a Jewish family and one of the most prominent banking families in Europe. They have a long history of using their money to shape economic and political outcomes. Although the origin of the Rothschild family can be traced back to the 15th century, Mayer Amschel Rothschild founded the banking dynasty in the late 18th century. He extended the banking business with his five sons into a global conglomerate. This expansion opened up new markets for the Rothschild family to operate in.
The family became prominent in the 19th and 20th centuries. They had a significant economic impact on Europe. For instance, they gave a sizable loan to the British government. This loan made the family a substantial stakeholder in the Suez Canal Company. They also lent money to the French government in the 1870s to pay war indemnities.
The Napoleonic Wars were highly profitable for Mayer’s family banking house. His five sons expanded the company from Frankfurt and Main to London, Paris, Vienna, and Naples. They are said to ‘weigh’ 500 billion dollars, while some estimates assert that they control 100 billion dollars in assets.
Did you know that the Rothschild family has been the target of numerous conspiracy theories? These range from notions that they control the weather to assertions that they are the puppeteers of major financial organisations. Of course, after learning about its past riches and power, you can understand why one might think that!
The Rockefeller Dynasty
The Rockefeller family is a well-known American family that has shaped contemporary America through philanthropy. It has impacted numerous generations. Even in the 21st century, their influence is felt in many industries, including finance, business, politics, healthcare, education, environmental protection and the arts.
The great-grandfather, John D. Rockefeller Sr., made the family’s fortune in the oil industry. He became the first billionaire in history in 1916 with 400 billion USD. Rockefeller built an oil refinery close to Cleveland with his business partners in 1863. He and his younger brother William established the Standard Oil Company in 1870.
After that, Rockefeller began a bold takeover campaign. He bought out Standard Oil’s rivals, acquired pipelines, and brokered with the railroads for beneficial oil transportation prices. By controlling almost every aspect of the company, Rockefeller had more or less established a monopoly. But his harsh actions were unacceptable to the US Congress. So, they passed the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890), which made monopolies illegal.
Conspiracy theorists believe that Rockefellers never gave up control. They claim that the Rockefeller family now operates covertly. They do so through financial institutes like Chase Manhattan Bank and oil firms like ExxonMobil, an American multinational oil and gas industry, and BP, a British oil and gas company.
The Morgan Family
If you’ve ever looked into the world of finance, you have surely heard of JP Morgan. J.P. Morgan is a pioneer in asset management, commercial banking, investment banking, and the processing of financial transactions.
JP Morgan, the man and not the company, was well-known for taking control of companies. Born in Connecticut, US, he was from a banking family.
During the 1893 bank crisis, the company gave tonnes of gold to the American government to save the country from becoming defaulter due to a lack of gold reserves. Because of this, the Morgans eventually gained control of gold in the US. They began financing businesses like AT&T (a multinational telecommunications company in the USA), General Electric (GE, USA), and others. They even provided funding for Nikola Tesla’s research for a while.
The Morgan family’s influence does not stop there. They were connected to the US ministry of finance, that is the US Department of the Treasury. Through this connection, they provided loans to Russia and France. These financial ties may have pushed the US to enter the First World War to defend the loans they had given to the Allies (Great Britain and the Soviet Union).
The Morgan family’s financial influence continues with P. Morgan Junior providing the US with a 500 million USD loan for a 1% provision. This was applicable to all goods his enterprises sold to the American Army. This family still holds the largest family gold reserve today. It is rumoured that this hoarded gold is tunnelled into the New York office of the American Central Bank.