Not many of the general public know their names, even fewer have seen them in person. They are almost never mentioned on the lists of the richest people simply because their fortunes are impossible to calculate. They do not like publicity and prefer to act from the shadows. But nevertheless, they are able to influence everyone, even presidents.
Rockefeller family
Today the name Rockefeller has become a household name and is almost synonymous with the word "wealth". This clan, according to many experts, can rightfully be called an icon of American economics and politics. True, today their influence is no longer as limitless as it used to be. Nevertheless, Rockefeller representatives are still present among large law firms, banks, media, and military structures. They still influence the mood of the American political elite.
David Rockefeller - the current head of the Rockefeller house and the grandson of the very founding father of the American oil industry, is today one of the main participants and leaders of the mysterious Bilderberg Club. Every year the most influential people of the planet gather at its meetings: politicians, businessmen, bankers, heads of leading Western media. There is a theory according to which it is at the meetings of this club that it is decided who will become the next leader of this or that country. Such precedents have already happened many times. This was the case, for example, with Bill Clinton, who, while still a senator of the state of Arkansas, was first invited in 1991 to one of the meetings of the club.
However, there is an opinion that today the Rockefellers are rapidly losing their influence. Partly because the family is constantly replenished with strangers as a result of marriages, the number of its members grows, and the capital decreases. John Davison Rockefeller, the one who created Standart Oil in 1870, was the first dollar billionaire in history and the richest man in the world. No joke: at the time of his death, his fortune was equal to 1.54% of the total US GDP. In terms of 2007 figures, this is $ 318 billion. While today the fortune of his grandson David Rockefeller barely exceeds $ 2.5 billion, and all assets of Rockefeller Financial Services are estimated at $ 34 billion.
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Morgan family
Currently, the Morgan House is one of the largest financial groups not only in the United States, but throughout the world. They own about a hundred different corporations, including such giants as General Electric, which produces almost everything from light bulbs to nuclear reactors, and General Motors, which are engaged not only in cars and buses, but also in military equipment. All together, the structures that this family controls produce goods and services worth about 1.5 trillion. dollars. And this is, for a minute, 20% of the total US GDP. Over the course of many generations, Morgan made the lion's share of their fortune on various kinds of financial fraud and stock speculation. In addition, they made very good money in all wars, from the American Civil War to the Second World War. Naturally,that such a powerful family has a significant impact on the political life of the United States. Legend has it that it was in John Morgan's "hunting lodge" on Jekyll Island off the east coast of the United States in November 1910 that all the richest families in America met, who decided to create an organization now known as the Federal Reserve System - the Federal Reserve System.
The Coon and Loeb families
Kuhn Bank, Loeb & Co. Founded in 1867 by Abrahm Kuhn and Solomon Loeb, it was one of the country's largest credit organizations of its time. They competed on equal terms with JP Morgan & Co. Like all banks of the mid-19th century, Kuhn and Loeb invested in railways, industrial and financial giants like Western Union and the Polaroid Corporation. However, there were always a lot of rumors around this bank. In particular, it is believed that during the Russo-Japanese War, Kuhn, Loeb & Co. they helped Japan, even the sum of 200 million dollars is called - gigantic money at that time. In addition, there is evidence that the same bank sponsored the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917, financing many extremist movements.
Goldman family
The Goldman Sachs Group is one of the world's largest investment banks, with a market capitalization of nearly $ 89 billion today. It was founded by Marcus Goldman in 1869, and was joined by his son-in-law Samuel Sachs 30 years later. Since the early 20th century, Goldman Sachs has been the most important player in the emerging IPO market. Almost from their inception, they have heavily recruited graduates from top business schools with degrees in business administration. And in the end it bore fruit. Today, people from this conglomerate form an entire class in the upper echelons of power in economic America. That is why he is often mentioned in all kinds of conspiracy theories. And, I must say, not without reason. In 2012, the bank paid $ 100,000 to the Duberstein consulting company,so that she lobbied in the US Senate to refuse to pass the Magnitsky Act. There is an assumption that in this way the bank wanted to protect the deposits of its Russian clients.
Dupont family
One of America's richest industrialists, the Dupont made their fortune in the wars. In 1802, the founder of the dynasty, Pierre Samuel Dupont, founded the Dupont de Nemours company, which, among other things, was engaged in the manufacture of gunpowder. The rapid development of the war company was only facilitated by the war with England in 1812 and the Civil War. After their end, when the country was literally overflowing with surplus gunpowder, Dupont, together with the owners of other gunpowder factories, organized the Association for the Trade in Gunpowder, known as the "Powder Trust", which completely controlled the market for gunpowder and explosives and dictated their prices. Of course, this kind of activity made Du Pont very influential people not only in business, but also in power. In 1912, a case was brought against the company on charges of creating a monopoly. But the generals and admirals who spoke at the trial insisted that the Du Pont monopoly should not only be preserved, but also supported in the interests of national security. The court upheld the generals. Today the Dupont dynasty numbers about two thousand people, of which no more than a hundred are considered the most influential.
Rothschild family
None of the richest family clans in the world has such an area of secrecy as this Jewish dynasty of European bankers. Mayer Amschel became the ancestor of all today's Rothschilds - it was he who first took the name of the family jewelry workshop "Red Shield" - Rothschield as a surname. He, starting with a usurious store, soon founded a bank in Frankfurt am Main. Expanding his connections and spheres of activity, Mayer soon became the official supplier of antiques to the royal court, and later the personal banker of Prince William. Mayer's business was continued by his five sons, who controlled five banks in major European cities: Paris, London, Vienna, Naples and Frankfurt. It is their descendants,mainly two branches of the Rothschilds - English (from Nathan) and French (from James) and are the main part of the modern Rothschild family.
Increasing their influence, the family began to participate not only in economic, but also in political and religious affairs. The Rothschilds could influence monarchs, members of royal families, bishops, bankers. They sponsored wars and revolutions, established business relationships with politicians, supplied weapons and goods for the armies of various European countries. Nathan Rothschild did a good job on Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo: after learning that England had won, he appeared on the stock exchange and sat there with a gloomy face. Investors concluded that the UK had lost and began to hastily dump securities that were bought by the Rothschild agents for a low price. Today, even according to the most conservative estimates, the state of the Rothschild family is estimated at more than 3 trillion. dollars despite the fact that no family member has a personal fortune of more than $ 1 billion.