Gentile Folly

Gentile Folly: The Rothschilds by Arnold Leese examines the history, family relationships, financial activities, political connections, and international influence of the Rothschild banking family, presenting the Rothschilds as a powerful force in European and international affairs. Leese traces the family from Mayer Amschel Rothschild and the Frankfurt house through the London, Paris, Vienna, Naples, and American branches, describing their involvement in government finance, wars, loans, railways, mining, oil, banking, international commerce, and political affairs. He devotes particular attention to the Rothschilds' relationships with European monarchies and political leaders, their connections with Freemasonry and Jewish organizations, their influence on the press, and their activities in Britain, Europe, the United States, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Later chapters examine the Rothschilds' relationships with other Jewish families, Gentile intermarriages, political and diplomatic figures, Zionism, and the family's involvement in international finance and raw materials, while the concluding chapter considers what Leese calls the "moral of it all" and the political and social consequences he attributes to Rothschild influence.