By Chris Black
One of the most cunning bankers in the world died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 57 yesterday in his home in Switzerland. Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, from the French branch of the family, had a personal fortune of 4.5 billion US dollars, and ran a $194 billion Financial Group with 32 subsidiaries in 15 countries, the Edmond de Rothschild Group respectively.
In the 19th century, the Rothschild family was practically the central bank of Europe. States and monarchies borrowed from them for investment or war. Without their money, nothing would move on the continent. Only Rockefeller competed with them as a symbol of wealth and power. But the Rockefeller clan had a job in America. Each with its own continent, right?