Genealogy Books - The House of Rothschild: Money's Prophets, 1798-1848

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Customer Rating:

Summary: Know your European history before you pick this up
Comment: I have just finished reading the second volume of this extensive history of the Rothschild family.
The author was given access to private writings of the family members, who were avid correspondents
with one another. As a result, he is able to bring insight and additional historical information
into the narrative of this famous financial house -- or rather houses -- as there were five
established during the period of the family's greatest fame and influence. The author makes a
strong case that financial constraints definitely limited the actions of nations as they sought to
finance their wars and reparations when they lost.

While the two volume work has great
sweep, it lacks depth. One senses that since the Rothschild heirs gave the author access to
previously unseen source materials, he was reluctant to level serious criticism against the family.
Remember, in many cases the financing they provided governments was the necessary, but not
sufficient, ingredient for great human suffering -- the very point of these volumes. It is not all
a dark picture for the family's activities, far from it, but a blind eye has been turned. More
importantly, one turns away from the effort of reading these volumes feeling unfulfilled. Of all
that he has written, what was the significance of this great family's prodigious financial activity?
Were they a force for good or evil? On balance, has humanity benefitted or been ill served by
them? These questions linger as the second volume concludes, and they remain unanswered, or at
least, without an answer from this obviously talented and hard working author.

An
essential, if unsatisfying, work.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Interesting when it sticks to the topic.
Comment: I really enjoyed this book, but I found that it went into mind-numbing detail on the financial
transactions. When the author stuck to the subject, i.e., the history of the family, it was a
fascinating story and I could read 20 pages without realizing it. However, the details about the
rate of bonds during the Napoleanic era bored me to tears. I glazed over the last 3 chapters
because it was filled with details minimally related to the history of the family. I'm still not
sure why providing the exact rate of bonds during the revolutionary periods was so important. It
would have sufficed to say that they increased, decreased, tanked or soared. That would have been
more than sufficient for my purposes. I will read several other books before I attempt the second
volume.

Customer Rating:

Summary: An excellent and comprehensive analysis
Comment: Niall Ferguson has done a commendable job of describing the developement of a captivating family
saga. What I found most appealing about the book is its comprehensive nature -- it weaves the family
story in the context of the political and economic developments,with which it is closely
intertwined. What is even more fascinating is the level of financial details about the bank than
Ferguson provides. Perhaps it is his access to the recently open archive in Moscow that allows the
author to deisclose finanacial history that it fascinating and detailed.

I would highly recommend
this book to any serious student of history, as well as to people interested in banking and
economics. Perhaps it may appear too detailed for the casual reader.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Engaging and enlightening
Comment: The House of Rothschild 1798-1848 covers a pivotal time in history. The Napoleonic Wars, rise of
capitalism, the rise of multinational businesses, development of the railroad and the French
Revolution. The Rothschild's had a front row seat to all of this and were the focus of some of it.
From humble beginnings in the Frankfurt Jewish Ghetto, the rise of this family is chronicled through
three generations. Many myths about the Rothschilds are laid to rest by Ferguson's groundbreaking
research, much of it original scholarship. One of the main threads running through the book is that
finance had a profound role in the ability of the rulers of Europe to do what they wanted. By 1825
the Rothschild had a significant role in sovereign finance. Many things were wished for by the
various despots that ruled Europe at that time, but if the Rothschilds did not perceive that those
wishes would lead to stabilization and peace it typically was not supported thereby making it
difficult to realize. They did not support the despots with out reserve, but they knew that peace
protected their interests. That perspective makes this book unique.
The Rothschild family
business was a partnership that was constructed as the 2nd generation left Frankfurt for London,
Paris, Vienna, and Naples. That the partnership should survive was the 1st generation's greatest
desire and was respected (most of the time) by his descendants. The exchanges between the 5 houses
make for fascinating reading and are reference extensively in the book.
The book details how the
Rothschilds pushed for Jewish emancipation and equality and were resisted at every turn. That did
not prevent them from receiving commendations from the various governments that the worked with. It
did not prevent them from gaining entry to the most prestigious universities for their children. It
did not prevent Lionel from gaining entry into the British Parliament without having to swear a
Christian Oath. The Rothschilds achieved a great deal for themselves and for Judaism.
Intrigue,
betrayal, revolution, and vignettes of famous people make this a very entertaining book, not merely
a historic rendering of dates and places. From the beginning of the Rothschild climb to prominence
with the Elector of Hesse-Kassel to the French Revolution in 1848, this book will engage the reader.

Customer Rating:

Summary: BORING
Comment: This book is about the rise of the House of Rothschild but it is not written for the casual reader
of history. This is written for the scholar whose subject matter is economic history. As that is
not my field of study, I found the book boring in the extreme (it took me two months to wade through
it). However, for the student of Jewish history, it does have some interesting ideas as to the
origins of some of the Nazi propaganda.

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