Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?

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Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="Myles Hudson" data-title="Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?" data-published-date="3 Sep. 2020" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/story/where-do-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theories-about-the-rothschild-family-come-from" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal gtm-topic-tool btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" data-modal=".md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/story/where-do-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theories-about-the-rothschild-family-come-from" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/story/where-do-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theories-about-the-rothschild-family-come-from">https://www.britannica.com/story/where-do-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theories-about-the-rothschild-family-come-from</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing font-12"> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Myles-Hudson/12489091" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Myles Hudson</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Myles Hudson was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopædia Britannica. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 2021.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Myles Hudson</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div></div> </div> <article class="topic-content content mt-20"><figure class="md-assembly md-feature-assembly print-false" data-type="1" data-descid="1"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/200267-050-186D5A6D/Mayer-Amschel-Rothschild.jpg" target="_blank" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center " data-href="*"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/200267-050-186D5A6D/Mayer-Amschel-Rothschild.jpg?w=600&q=60" alt="Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830." data-width="970" data-height="1231" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class=""><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><cite class="credit d-block mt-5">ART Collection/Alamy</cite></figcaption></figure> <p class="topic-paragraph">The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Rothschild-family" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Rothschild family</a> is arguably the most famous European banking dynasty in modern history. In the late 18th century, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the family patriarch, founded his first banking house in the German town of Frankfurt. His sons expanded the bank into a multinational enterprise, and, with their newfound wealth, the Rothschilds were able to influence their local economies. One Rothschild loan paid off French war indemnities in the 1870s, while another allowed the British government to become the powerful Suez Canal Company’s primary shareholder. However, the Rothschild family’s rapid accumulation of wealth and power was met with one odious reaction: rampant <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/anti-Semitism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">anti-Semitism</a>. As a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Judaism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jewish</a> family, the Rothschilds have been targeted by conspiracy theorists as a prime example of Jews allegedly using their money to control global financial institutions. These claims have been roundly condemned and proven false, but they continue to persist. What are the origins of the anti-Semitism directed at the Rothschild family, and how have these conspiracy theories resurfaced in the 21st century?</p><span class="MOD1"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">In 2015 the British newspaper <em>The Independent</em> published <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-rothschild-libel-why-has-it-taken-200-years-for-an-anti-semitic-slur-that-emerged-from-the-10216101.html" data-show-preview="true">an investigation of anti-Semitic claims against the Rothschilds</a>. Journalism professor Brian Cathcart traced the first widespread conspiracy theory to a political pamphlet called <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5660688h/f1.image.texteImage" data-show-preview="true"><em>Histoire édifante et curieuse de Rothschild I<sup>er</sup>, roi des juifs</em></a>, which began rolling off European printing presses in 1846. Written by Georges Dairnvaell under the pseudonym “Satan,” this pamphlet narrates the history of the Rothschild family and its influence in Europe. According to Cathcart, its most famous passage details Nathan Rothschild’s involvement in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Waterloo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Battle of Waterloo</a> on June 18, 1815. Immediately after the battle, according to the pamphlet, Rothschild was rushed to the Belgian coast and paid a fortune to cross the English Channel in the middle of a thunderstorm. He arrived in London 24 hours before news of Napoleon’s defeat was officially announced, “Satan” claims, and, as a result, he “suddenly won 20 million [francs], while his other brothers seconded him; the total profit made in this fatal year amounted to 135 MILLION!”</p><span class="MOD2"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">Although this account became instantly popular across Europe, it was both false and dangerous. Cathcart’s research found that on June 18, 1815, Nathan Rothschild was nowhere near Waterloo. There were no reports of a storm over the English Channel at that time. And while the Rothschilds did profit immensely off the war effort against Napoleon, they did not make millions from announcing the Allied victory at Waterloo. The fact that these claims were so readily believed draws on the pernicious history of European anti-Semitism. </p><span class="MOD3"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">Many respectable institutions have fallen prey to Dairnvaell’s pamphlet. The <em>Encyclopædia Britannica</em> is among them. In Volume XXIII of the 11th edition (1910–11), the <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=dQ4kAQAAIAAJ&lpg=PR13&dq=encyclopedia%20britannica%2011th%20edition%20volume%20xxiii&pg=PA758#v=onepage&q&f=false" data-show-preview="true">entry on ”Rothschild”</a> states that “he is said to have been present at the battle of Waterloo,” and “being able to transmit to London private information of the allied success several hours before it reached the public, he effected an immense profit by the purchase of stock, which had been depressed on the news of Blucher’s defeat two days previously.” Having chronicled Dairnvaell’s pamphlet as fact, <em>Britannica</em>’s 11th edition helped to perpetuate a conspiracy theory about the Rothschilds. </p><span class="MOD4"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">Cathcart’s article in <em>The Independent</em> is not alone in its exposé and criticism of anti-Semitic tropes surrounding the Rothschild family. After World War II, Western media and academia made significant strides in educating the public on how anti-Semitism is often perpetuated. However, there is clearly still work to be done. In March 2018 <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-lawmaker-says-recent-snowfall-caused-byrothschilds-controlling-the-climate/2018/03/18/daeb0eae-2ae0-11e8-911f-ca7f68bff0fc_story.html" data-show-preview="true"><em>The Washington Post</em> reported</a> that Washington, D.C., lawmaker Trayon White, Sr., alleged on Facebook that the Rothschilds “[control] the climate to create natural disasters they can pay for to own the cities.” His post refers to Internet conspiracy theories surrounding the Rockefeller Foundation’s Resilient Cities initiative, which rewards cities for addressing environmental concerns in their community. After intense controversy, White issued an apology and confessed his ignorance regarding the origin of the claims. He worked with Jewish activist organizations to learn more about anti-Semitism. But his visit that April to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum—presumably as an act of contrition—was catastrophic. <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-lawmaker-who-said-jews-control-the-weather-visits-holocaust-museum/2018/04/19/0b69ddde-4329-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html" data-show-preview="true">According to the <em>Post</em></a>, White made several comments that were widely panned as insensitive at best, and he abruptly left the museum halfway through his tour. He refused to comment on the reason for his departure. </p><span class="MOD5"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">White’s anti-Semitic treatment of the Rothschilds and his ignorance of Jewish suffering is reprehensible. Unfortunately, his story shows us that conspiracy theories about the Rothschilds have only grown more outlandish since the publication of Dairnvaell’s infamous pamphlet. And not unlike the editors of <em>Britannica</em>’s 11th edition, White is among a number of influential figures who—knowingly or unknowingly—are complicit in spreading these conspiracy theories. Although anti-Semitic attacks on the Rothschild family have been thoroughly disproved, they have revealed themselves to be embedded in the Western cultural subconscious. Those who contribute to this form of anti-Semitism must make a sustained effort to root it out.</p><span class="MOD6"></span> <span class="AM-END-OF-ARTICLE am-inline"></span></article> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="cm-rightrail d-none d-md-block ad-rail"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col"> <div class="md-loading hidden display-4 font-weight-normal"></div> <div class="text-center my-20 mb-100"> <button class="md-infinite-load-next btn btn-blue" data-value="next-page">Load More</button> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-da-320 hidden-xs"> </div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Story","templateName":"COMPANION","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":10,"pageId":8226,"pageLength":null,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/story-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"D","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Story","pageSubtype":"COMPANION","articleTemplateType":null,"gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From? | Britannica