Who Financed the Great War? - World War I DOCUMENTARY

[@KingsandGenerals]

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[@kevintewey1157]

This is the story of capitalism which always fails and it eats its own babies

[@jesenjin8467]

Infobox at 10:20 to 10:40 is confusingly written in last two sentences - just a heads up. Probably a mistake during editing.

[@Jbgro]

Check out the book the creature of Jekyll Island on the subject.

[@MinecraftJesusGaming]

My username is Trouble722, please unban me

[@rubikazi8157]

Edmond James de Rothschild and 12 more were the one who financed the great war. To reset this world order.

[@jlvfr]

The fact the UK only finished paying it's war loans in 2015 speaks volumes about how much money went into WWI. It also _seriously_ underlays the vital importance of the terms of WWII's Lend Lease.

[@jtgd]

Well, they also had debts for WW2 as well

[@jlvfr]

@@oscardouglas6850 I'm a patreon :)

[@jlvfr]

@@jtgd yes, but those were payed by 2006. So, it took 97 years to pay WWI, and 61 to pay WWII.

[@mikedrop4421]

Ukraine will be paying off loans until the heat death of the universe

[@nathanmc6848]

@@jlvfr epic history TV is better, you should support them

[@jengoh3826]

This is why Sun Tzu began his Art of War with an inventory of the misc cost of waging a war. He did this to drill it into the head of the generals that war is costly, and, therefore, the best generals are not those who win in battles. Rather, the best generals are those who win without fighting.

[@nicodangond5822]

Name one

[@d.m.collins1501]

@@nicodangond5822 though full to the brim with evil and colonialism, you have to tip your hat to the CIA's many successful attempts at replacing independent foreign democracies with U.S. business-friendly, anti-commie right-wing dictators--especially their coups in the 1950s in Guatemala and Iran. In the case of Guatemala, the CIA was able to start up a coup with only four CIA operatives, and then helped a mere few hundred right-wing Guatemalan rebels to oust their government with almost purely psychological techniques such as: implying heavier U.S. involvement than would really take place; doing bombing runs with ineffective Molotov-cocktail inspired munitions that nonetheless made it SOUND like cities were being obliterated from nearby towns; having radio stations broadcast fake rebel victories to make the invasion sound like it was practically a done deal, etc. Bear in mind that this was entirely a U.S. plan with U.S. objectives. This was not a popular uprising at all, or even one hatched by the Guatemalan military to take power. And yet the U.S. won without having to involve their own military in any battles at all! (The one semi-exception is that they did provide a few NAPALM bombing runs later with U.S. planes that, I assume, were piloted by CIA agents or other military personnel. But we're talking bombings by at most a few dozen people. No battles.) In the case of Iran, the CIA (in conjunction with British intelligence) basically just used money to win. After a few years of already being embargoed by the U.K., Prime Minister Mossadeq received a letter from Eisenhower saying "you suck and we will never give you aid since you blew it with the U.K." Though not much really changed here, the letter was intentionally leaked to the U.S. press and made Iran's parliament and populace lose confidence in Mossadeq. ... and then the CIA basically just spent $7 million in bribes to police and military figures. Mossadeq was immediately ousted, soon to be replaced by an authoritarian monarchy in the form of "King of Kings" Mohammed Reza Shah, who let the U.S. basically un-nationalize the Iranian oil industry, which at that time was basically THE source for European oil consumption. In return for $7 million and a LETTER, the U.K. and U.S. each wound up getting 40% of Iran's oil shares for the next two and a half decades. And basically not a shot was fired. I think Sun Tzu would be pleased--or at least the version of him I have put together in my head after never reading the Art of War and just ASSUMING the few quotes I've been fed are legitimate translations.

[@ameyas7726]

@@nicodangond5822 Taliban...won Afghanistan in 2021 without a single bullet fired by the billion dollars US-Afghan army surrendering/fleeing..

[@generalkenobi9782]

Nico Dangond The Mongols. You’d be surprised how many battles they won without fighting. Early submission to the Great Khan spared towns and cities that did so. The most notable being Novgorod while the rest of the Kievan Rus burned.

[@walsh9080]

@@nicodangond5822 Have you not heard of the concept of a proxy war? People have fought wars without doing any actual fighting themselves for some time.

[@aarondemiri486]

The finances and logistics of war really are fascinating and whilst not as exciting as battles, campaigns and wars are crucial to understanding conflicts.

[@iamaloafofbread8926]

Millitary troops can win battles, but logistics can win wars

[@aarondemiri486]

@@iamaloafofbread8926 very true.

[@alfrancisbuada2591]

Well it is true. You can't win a war, if you don't finance it.

[@LeSethX]

Logistics is key, and I think part of why Rome was able to win wars while losing battles and men.

[@MH-jg6vk]

Albanian?

[@Ad_Valorem]

"The sinews of war are infinite money" - Marcus Tullius Cicero The Romans understood that finances were crucial to their military success.

[@momon969]

And that military success was crucial to their finances.

[@ag7898]

It's why War is the second oldest profession.

[@pierrejean1380]

It may be true after Military reforms. Before those reforms I don't think it was an obvious mentality for the romans.

[@Fernando-yl9xr]

and Eisenhower saw a little further "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist." . Does anybody knows if the U.S.S.R recognised the debt of the Russian empire ?

[@bill3d577]

@@ag7898 which is the first?

[@reginaldshort8486]

“War swallows gold like a pit in the earth.”-Tywin Lannister. Please do more videos on the financial costs of war; I know Alexander and Napoleon both recognize it as a crucial factor in their campaigns.

[@Ilikeavocados123]

Well ik Alexander had smtg like 6 months to get gold or else his invasion wouldn’t have the funds to continue

[@RidleyScottOwnsFailedDictators]

Well, if you fight reckless, wasteful, incompetent, losing wars like Napoleon did several times, then yes the financial costs will be enormous. But not every war is a financial money pit that swallows gold. Some wars turn into gold mines, if you win the war. Unlike Napoleon who wasted massive military resources and an entire generation of French only to have foreign troops march down the streets of Paris.

[@reginaldshort8486]

@@RidleyScottOwnsFailedDictators he went from a low ranking officer to the Emperor of most of Europe. If he doesn’t invade Russia and makes peace with Britain would he be called incompetent.

[@reginaldshort8486]

@@Ilikeavocados123 money is the sinews of war.

[@geordiejones5618]

Its a shame that Napoleon completely ignored his earliest instincts. 1809-1814 were a total abandonment of the tactics he used to gain control of Europe.

[@hannahskipper2764]

The military industrial complex strikes. Thank you for highlighting this topic as it shows how our modern problems are much the same as our historical ones.

[@oneofspades]

It plays A PART but is not the reason or probably the major reason.

[@stacey_1111rh]

@@oneofspades Thank you

[@michaelpatterson7798]

"War is a racket." - Smedly Butler

[@antonk.2748]

There is a theory that moving away from the gold standard and effectively embracing infinite money printing is also one of the reasons why casualty numbers in WW1 were so high. Before that, governments were constrained in their ability to fight war by how much money they had to resupply and reinforce their troops. Once the war chest is empty and you cant pay your soldiers anymore that usually was the end. But since the governments decided to print and borrow as much money as they want their only constraint was manpower. And if you dont mind millions of people dying so you can achieve your ambitions or at least save face in front of the other big shots you can keep a war going for a long long time...

[@juankovacs6033]

@Energywelder also ignores the fact that every major player developed strategies and machines to "bypass" the trench deadlock (stormtroops tactics, tanks, planes, etc). Just another imaginative mind saying whatever.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

@Energywelder Also, the Thirty Years' War and subsequent civil wars disprove that theory. The lack of gold to pay troops did not stop the war but rather made it worse since it means that those unpaid troops are more inclined to plunder any settlement they pass by to pay themselves. It happened with 1632 Magdeburg and 1996 Freetown...

[@LeCharles07]

That's not really true though because you can raid and pillage. It was the modern machinery of war and outdated ideas on the battlefield that caused the incredible casualties. Bear in mind that France had 1.3 million men under arms while on the gold standard and at the start of the war the casualties were *insane* (We're talking in the range of 1:4 to 1:2. The Russians lost 90,000 in a single day in their first battle.) Germany's intent was to knock France out of the war then destroy Russia, who they saw as their primary rival and threat), so France wasn't just "[saving] face in front of the other big shots you can keep a war going for a long long time"; they were fighting to maintain their, literal, independence.

[@tobiasharstel7941]

No machine guns, large scale howitzers and population boom in 19th century were the reason for these large scale wars

[@antonk.2748]

​@Energywelder Thats why I wrote "one of the reasons" and not "the reason". And the technological advances, at least the mid - late war ones like tanks, gas and so on were financed by taking credit and printing money as to finally break the deadlock so that point really supports the more funds = more casualties argument. Sure, wars were always thought on credit even in antiquity but never on this scale (I think he mentioned 500 mil as the largest loan in history up to that point in the video?) as well as simply printing paper money rather than borrowing gold bullion from a third party which as far as I know really wasnt a thing until the 20th century.

[@tomriley5790]

Question - if Britain, France and Russia were struggling so hard to maintain the war, how could Germany and Austria manage it?

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

Answer, they barely did...

[@samwill7259]

Barely. And with a LOT of social chaos, economic collapse and famine. They basically only kept holding on because Germany kept winning victories every time people were rumbling about throwing the government out. When the victories stopped...well, the Kaiser technically fled the country before the war even ended.

[@poop696969poop]

They barely did so, where France had the mutinies, Germany had the turnip winter. It's more that Russia just broke first, allowing Germany and Austria-Hungary to shift forces west.

[@theliato3809]

It was a slog all the way through

[@ShireTommy_1916_Somme-Mametz]

Same as UK. Ww1 was the greatest disaster in european history. Neither side won anything

[@AAR004]

I can even begin to describe how good this vid is, this is one of the big topics in my A level exams. Thanks Kings and Generals

[@Fernando-yl9xr]

Good luck on those!

[@theliato3809]

American neutrality was really more of a formality

[@Anglomachian]

I know it wasn’t meant this way, but when I heard “munitions exports exploded”, I laughed out loud.

[@iattacku2773]

Britain and France: “ we can’t pay you back if we’re dead” America: “ say no more” * America declared war on Germany

[@nickdanger3802]

They did not pay it back anyway.

[@schroedingersdog7965]

"A rich man's war and a poor man's fight" comes to mind.

[@ronmaximilian6953]

You're under the incorrect assumption that the sons of rich men didn't die is officers or even volunteer as privates.

[@ronmaximilian6953]

@Sean Greenfield The Roosevelt family was one of the richest families in the country. Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin was a pilot and died in World War I haven't been shot down in combat. Junius Spencer Morgan III served at sea in the US Navy in ships, which could have been torpedoed. His brother Henry dropped out of Harvard to serve in the US Navy. Both would also serve during World War II. Henry's son would join the Navy during World War II and would become a lifelong navy man r eventually becoming an admiral. In fact, Henry Sturgis Morgan Jr would marry into a naval family. His wife was Jean Alexandra McCain, the daughter of admiral John S McCain Jr and the sister of Senator John McCain. Do you also want me to look up the Rothschilds?

[@ronmaximilian6953]

James-Henri de Rothschild was a French fighter pilot in World War I. He would also be part of the free French Air Force in World War II.

[@oneofspades]

Sons of rich and powerful men died too.

[@jacksonmcdonald5443]

I'm sure it was mentioned in the video but Medley Butler's "War is a Racket" is a must read/watch speech/book.

[@benperkins9237]

Wasn't,t it Smedley Butler?

[@jacksonmcdonald5443]

@@benperkins9237 yes you are correct !

[@Kite403]

Wow, it's crazy to think the MIC was starting its plays all the way back in WWI days. Money & politics do not mix

[@ThePacificWarChannel]

One of the largest adventures of research and writing for this one =) the world of war finance is a scary one!

[@ayli9]

looking forward to more 'financial' videos like this about other wars!

[@veeli1106]

TIK History is already on the case with his BankWars series!

[@mascadadelpantion8018]

What a time to be alive back then A horrible scary war written time

[@krishnaabyan6575]

Oversimplified

[@iamaloafofbread8926]

@@krishnaabyan6575 I seen the details. :v

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Less scary than now. The weapons and potential for absolute destruction is comparatively incomprehensible for most. Indeed our greatest struggle right now is propaganda. The Russian government started it's first troll farm in 1998, and by around 2012 to 2014 were doing a great job of radicalizing the world's bigots, especially in the U.S. Like it or not, we're all on the front line of the greatest propaganda ever raged, and it's been going for over 20 years.

[@mat3714]

We all love battles but this is history

[@tolgakocakova7764]

One of the best history content so far, good job!

[@jerryx3253]

Question: what is the source of the statement “France only introduced income taxes around 1914”? Since to my understanding, France was one of the earliest European countries that implemented a flat income tax on all citizens. (One of the reason that sparked the French Revolution in the beginning) There are as far as I know the 1872 and 1888 income taxes in France.

[@yannickbaroue]

Income taxes in France started in 1710 under Louis XIV because of War against Spain. It was Le Dixième (10% flat tax). Then the income tax as we know today was introduced in France in 1914

[@darkhobo]

Income tax is a fairly recent innovation as far as Taxes go. There were property taxes. (Technically "paid" by the land owners, the Nobility, but imposed on the peasantry) Inheritance taxes. Import/export duties and trade duties. As well as taxes on certain products and businesses. Like a tax on beer and wine. Later, Liquor and Coffee. Silk. Taxes on taverns, inns, and brothels. Those were classically the ways states collected taxes. But as the middle class grew, they were able to avoid most of these taxes.. So the state figured out the Income tax.

[@cjclark2002]

Good eye, look deeper.

[@chriswanger284]

@@yannickbaroue IN German terriotires income tax existed from the medieval period.

[@redaug4212]

So basically the military industrial complex was kickstarted by the federal reserve. Well done WW.

[@channel_void]

huh are you keen on blaming america on everything?

[@redaug4212]

@@channel_void Quite the opposite. Blaming the US federal government is the most patriotic thing an American can do.

[@theliato3809]

Gotta go back a lot earlier then that

[@epa2349]

@@redaug4212 Not really, Just after WW1 American army stopped investing in it's armed forces. American military wasn't even top 5 in the world during 1930s. FDR massively decreased military spending to fund public programs to fight depression & to cut cost. Military industrial complex wouldn't start until Japan attacked. So to blame the military industrial complex on Fed is ridiculous.

[@redaug4212]

@@epa2349 The federal reserve was subsidizing banks to extend credit lines to foreign nations in exchange for war materials - and thereby boost their own investments through the production of said war materials. That's basically how the military industrial complex works, and it all starts with the government handing out infinite fiat currency to the banks. This kind of system wouldn't survive on the gold standard.

[@Oxtocoatl13]

I would love to see a follow up on how the different countries handled their domestic economies during the war. Things like armament factories and military shipyards had to be conjured from thin air and could only be achieved by a massive government stimulus. It's actually very risky to start manufacturing arms during wartime because the initial costs are massive and the war might be over by the time production gets rolling. So states had to bankroll massive expansions to the private sector while agreeing to buy the products for a number of years, war or no war. Household names in European industry like Renault, Skoda, BMW and many others made their big break during WWI.

[@jameslawrie3807]

You'd be surprised at the economic bastardry directed towards France to ensure it was reduced as a power. Because it ended the war with the largest and best equipped army all powers saw France as a threat and tried to ensure its repayments were crippling. This was to have important ramifications later . . .

[@magusl9628]

@@jameslawrie3807 *Germany, you meant

[@stephenlitten1789]

Renault and Skoda were big before WWI. Skoda was the armaments firm for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. BMW got its big break under the Nazis - it almost went broke during WWI and was acquired by the German government.

[@Xristoforos41493]

Finance was everything. The central bank baby! You gotta love currency loaned at interest!

[@BrazilianImperialist]

✡

[@ASLUHLUHC3]

History is so much more than just battles

[@nolanlewis538]

Wouldn't be surprised if US was playing the same game with Ukraine right now in the current ukraine-russian war.

[@TheBanjoShowOfficial]

@@kelleychilton2524 bingo. It has never been about “saving” or “fighting for democracy”. It’s always propaganda to give the pretext for garnering support in getting ourselves involved in conflicts we have no business getting involved in.

[@stacey_1111rh]

@@TheBanjoShowOfficial Not bingo. Good thing we entered world war 2. Otherwise Nazi Germany and Japan would be our rulers. Saddam wouldn’t be a very good thing on the world scale either. Osama bin laden would still be executing terror attacks. Communism would have as well seeped all throughout the world. So a hefty no to your statement

[@stacey_1111rh]

Sort of yes but no

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

Great video. Maybe a follow up on how the debt repayments and reparations in conjunction with Versailles led to the problems in Germany In the 20s? Your work this year has hit new level of mastery.

[@paulceglinski3087]

TIK has a great video on just the subject you asked about. Check it out. Warning: TIK's videos are well done but they are hardcore history on steroids. Some of his conclusions will anger, but he puts every reference he uses for that vid. Enjoy. [Nope, I am not a paid spokesperson, just enthusiastic.] Cheers

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

@@paulceglinski3087 I have seen and agree with u much of the TIK take on this but K and G is so much more succinct and coherent as well as great visual content. Thanks for the reminder though.

[@paulceglinski3087]

@@terraflow__bryanburdo4547 No problem. Myself, I've got to get in the right "mood"for TIK. Believe me it's like going to a 301 history class. I love it, but only if I have the option, the 301 class not so much unless I just wanted to waste money. LOL. The things we do for "fun". Sometimes a major league lecture can be fun.

[@natpat6394]

Could you do more videos on the economics of major wars? It’s super fascinating.

[@TetsuShima]

WWI supposed, not only the death of the three great Eagles that ruled Europe known as Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia, but the awakening of the American eagle that would take over the world, too

[@paulceglinski3087]

Not really maturity, but more like coming of age. The maturity came during WW2, in my opinion. We found out during WW1, the power of the dollar. To this day the American dollar is universal. Where it once was the pound sterling, now it's the dollar. Amazing that the dollar is more powerful than our arms. Lawyers, guns and money used to be the thing. Now, it's just send the money, oh yankee greenbacks are the best.

[@PMMagro]

USA was already the strongest economy before WW1. With the War raging Europe but not North America it was a very onsided race off healthy peacetiem economy making money on the war off the bleeding European major powers.

[@paulceglinski3087]

@@PMMagro Ahhh, Ce'la Guerre. Money is money. As if Britain and France didn't sell arms to the Confederacy during our Civil War. Lassé faire and all that. Yes, the United States had a robust economy before the war, but, as the vid pointed out, the US was emerging from a ression. Money was tight and we didn't have a national banking system. If those hauty Europeans want to blow themselves to kingdom come, bring your checkbook cause we don't take credit. Plainly speaking, we are just better at it than the Brits. Lawyers, guns and money that is.

[@dasenya1761]

@@paulceglinski3087 Why do foreigners call Us yankees ? Americans haven’t called each other that since the days of the Civil War. Or early 20th century

[@paulceglinski3087]

@@dasenya1761 I'm sorry, but I'm from the Southern United States. Everybody and everything North of Tennessee is Yankeeland. Besides during the Revaluation we were all Yankees. Be assured I didn't call them what my Great-grandmother called them, she was the daughter of a Confederate soldier, she called them damyankees. All one word and yes I purposely misspelled it.

[@HB-C_U_L8R]

What about how Japan played a major part as a manufacturing hub for the Entente? The Allied powers stopped buying Japanese goods after the war and the resulting recession became one of the reasons for Japan's militarization in the interwar period.

[@jameslawrie3807]

That and like China it had accepted Prussian Militarism as a state model and this along with your point caused a perfect storm.

[@oneofspades]

Japan was heading in that direction regardless of WWI.

[@paulceglinski3087]

Another great video from Kings and Generals. We have always been a cash and carry kind of place. During WW1, we even sold resources to Germany up until we went to war against them. Until your country becomes a "friend and ally" bring your checkbook. Cheers.

[@aegystierone8505]

It looks like Germany (pre WW2 Germany) was being wronged here.....

[@paulceglinski3087]

@@aegystierone8505 Sure enough. The US sold resources to the Kaiser, but they had a hard time getting around the British blockade. The cargo subs that were in New York harbor made the papers and was big news. Remember, like 40% of immigrants were of German extraction at that time. Pro-German sentiment ran quiet but deep.

[@BillyTheKidder]

I REALLY hope you do a follow up video on who funded the second World War. This is a very important aspect of war, it affects everyone.

[@JamesWilliams-dj2bp]

The Rothchild syndicate. Now called Blackrock.

[@bebinca]

I didn't realise so many funds were required to get the war started and going. Thanks for the information

[@ericshetka3655]

It makes me sad to see the WW2 and Korean Conflict era Veterans here in America still clinging to their last few years are now the same age as the WW1 Veterans we're when I was still a small boy... Sometimes I feel like the Gulf War Era and Global War On Terrorism guys like myself will never really get this experience... We are a much smaller percentage of the total population as a cohort and spread out across Boomers, Genx'ers, and Millennials with a much more variety degree of what can still be called Combat Experience... The General Population seems to have completely forgotten the Human and Economic costs of War in the modern age as we simply put it on the Washington's tab and outsource the majority of the fighting to indigenous populations that could be accurately defined as neo-peasantry fro the most part.

[@BasicLib]

What do you think about the western efforts to help Ukraine from the perspective of someone whose served his country? (And yes I known it’s more complicated than “serving your country”)

[@ericshetka3655]

@@BasicLib I think it is complicated by a lot of politics and Propaganda, my instinctual reaction to the Conflict was to try and figure out a way to Volunteer in Ukraine's Foreign Fighters Regiment, but the dogmatic Cold-War Era one sided media reporting, and the blatant cash grabs going on by Western Banks and Arms-Producers has turned me off from the idea... WHY are they afraid to allow Russians and their Leadership there to exercise freedom of speech in favor of mirroring Soviet Era Propaganda techniques via the Western Media that has unarguably become an Oligopolistic structure? This is the question they are forcing me to ask myself as of late, but it has multi-faceted answers...

[@ericshetka3655]

...My biggest concern is how much bang for their buck they are really getting out of the aid packages being sent there... We could literally add three more entire Marine Corps to the US Military equal to the one we currently have at the rate they are literally DUMPING cash into Ukraine right now, which makes it appear Russia has already won tactically and they are doing stop-gap measures we all will pay for at the gas pump and the grocery line for the next ten years...

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

@@ericshetka3655 what? How are they preventing Russians from exercising freedom of speech?

[@staffsgtsullivan]

“I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world - no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.” Woodrow Wilson

[@cjclark2002]

Ultimate question is, was he sincere in this statement or not. I’m conflicted on this, I am very upset with Wilson, he has contributed to the ruin of our nation.

[@aslandus]

@@cjclark2002 I mean, he can be a bad person who made ruinous decisions and still be correct about some things, those aren't mutually exclusive

[@CutieZalbu]

How did he ruin it?

[@peanutarbuckle7397]

Dee Yooden. It always comes back to the Tribe in the end, every cent.

[@stefang3709]

That last quote says it all.

[@anzac4103]

It was a certain group of people that is overrepresented in the banking sector

[@vellerephonte674]

at least they re not involved in killings of innocent mangods.

[@akagi007]

I have seen literally all episodes of @KingsandGenerals. Besides factually deeper than Marianna Trench fantastic Pacific War series and Pacific War series so this is one of and probably best written episodes on this channel. I do similar job for TV and I know how dificult is to visually ilustrate economic topics (even worse or more chellenging are only IT - software topics). Therofore I fully understand quite imposible task to make this episode visually appealing, BUT story was so well written, that I was on the hook all the time and do not care about loooooooooooooooooooong shots - that waving committee was adorable at the end :-) Speaking about end - that final methaphoric Statue of liberty to profit from anything is fantastic. On the otherhand some sterotypical but that time accurate sarkastic caricatures were a bit over my (!!!) edge, yet - again - I understand why and what was the point, but it revealed maybe a tiny bias against the reasons why USA entered the Great War. Maybe some stupid advice - instead of word INFOBOX I would use a proper journalistic style title of each informative boxe. And the "infobox" I would left on screen a bit longer. As not native english speker (and special economical wording in this particular cae) I couldnt read it at once in time so I had to stop and rewind video to finish it. In addition cause focusing on reading sprint in Usain Bolt style, I had lost contact with narrator. Besides this I am still confident that it was one of the best writen (and narrated of course :-) ) episodes on @KingsandGenerals. Honestly thank you for fresh and outside the box view on milion times presented topic as Great War is and will be.

[@publius5278]

From Farmington Hills Michigan I give you a "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU"

[@BodyTrust]

K & G: Always the best.

[@cayetanosoler3432]

Germany sided with the Ottoman empire for access to its oil rich lands . Palestine was also under Ottoman control and straight after its defeat the Sykes/Pico Treaty was signed carving up Ottoman territory between France and Great Britain. Britain got Palestine and signed the Balfour treaty just before the end of the war .

[@andy72090]

and Germany successfully knocked the Russians out of the war, with the help of the Russian Revolution...but all of a sudden...after the Balfour Declaration which was written to Jacob Rothschild, the Germans mysteriously ran out of money. And they call it the stab in the back "myth"

[@cayetanosoler3432]

@@andy72090 follow the money trail

[@talatciftci1704]

These informations provide you a great perspective... Thanks K&G...

[@landsea7332]

Thank you for the financial analysis of WW I . Excellent work. We were told in High School that the Zimmerman telegram and the sinkings by the German U boats was the reason why the US entered WW I - but recently I suspected the real reason was the US wanted to insure they got their loans back. Also - another major reason - I suspect that Woodrow Wilson and Americans wanted a major say at the negotiation table after the war ended . .

[@destubae3271]

Wilson blatantly wanted to have a major say. He wanted what the US became after WW2

[@tylerbozinovski427]

So I presume the Zimmermann Telegram was merely a pretext?

[@stephenlitten1789]

@@tylerbozinovski427 Well, it certainly didn't help the Germans. Mind you, they did in 1914 what Putin has done in 2022 - started a war without securing the diplomatic (and propaganda) victory first.

[@tylerbozinovski427]

@@stephenlitten1789 Dude, Germany didn't start WWI. They helped start it, yes, but they were not the only ones to blame. Which is why they didn't have very good diplomacy or propaganda (they didn't think a war would happen in that year). Difference with Russia now is that the Russian leadership's decisions are the only reason the war in Ukraine is even happening now.

[@stephenlitten1789]

@@tylerbozinovski427 You're right - I should've compared Russia to Austria-Hungary

[@vrsjwjwjwhwj2326]

Shalom

[@MichaelSmith-ij2ut]

As a lender of money to the Entente myself, I'm really glad to see this important issue finally getting some coverage.

[@bar1825]

what

[@riddhimaansenapati5006]

@@bar1825 A joke.

[@bar1825]

@@riddhimaansenapati5006 this is a joke?

[@rafaelcarvalho3928]

Beautiful art!

[@ironsentinel6047]

That thumbnail is both cool and terrifying at once.

[@albdamned577]

They should really be titled the birth of the military industrial complex.

[@Joker-no1uh]

That didn't happen until ww2. All these factories shut down after the war and the personnel dropped. Nor were there companies specifically for building military weapons and equipment. After ww2 and start of the Cold War is when those companies start. WW1 was more about financing rather than companies solely focused on weapons, equipment, technology, etc.

[@albdamned577]

@ an eagle chick doesn’t fly for weeks after hatching, does the bird not exist before that flight? It’s highly suggested you try to distinguish between simple terms like “birth” and “fully realized” before pontificating about something not at all relevant… Your argument would be as specious as me claiming a video about 19th century teetotalers was “the birth of prohibition” only for you to say “well actually it’s not because of the definitions I choose to use (and ones to ignore).”

[@jdrancho1864]

The US instituted a telecommunications tax that Ma Bell collected to pay for the Spanish=American War. Initially it was thought to be a very narrowly based tax as mostly only businesses and wealthy families could afford to have phone service. We know of course how that went. The tax was in place for about onehundred years and didn't come off until the 1990s.

[@paulceglinski3087]

Now, that's a teaser! More videos on WW1, indeed! Shout out to Officially Devin: Dude, you are the best narrator ever! [mic drop]

[@geofftoase3855]

In August 1914 the Bank of England had only £9 million in gold. HM Treasury had to issue a total of £300 million (denominated in £1 and 10s notes) debt-free, created out of nothing (without borrowing from anyone), directly into the domestic economy to keep it afloat. Wherever that £250 million you quote in the video was, it certainly wasn't in the BoE.

[@cjclark2002]

Where was it’s origin ?

[@AhesTheDre]

In French "le nerf de la guerre" means that finances feeds wars. And it seems this has been a business model for some nations...

[@motiondead8894]

The thumbnails recently have been getting better, keep up the good work guys!

[@kaloyanradkov8962]

War has always been about money.. only money is never about money

[@JP345etc]

Really great video. Enough level of detail for a first approximation and full of concrete facts. Please make more videos like this.

[@afalk1024]

It’s always the banks and what they want

[@jadegrace1312]

It's business in general. Banking is a mechanism that allows for internal corporations, but the problem is fundamentally corporations.

[@coliniveson2122]

Fascinating insight to an angle of the first world war and dare I add, nothing has changed.

[@autoklashkinov]

Wow thats crazy good thing no one ever escalted a war to save a financial investment ever again

[@femia4125]

Kaiser wilhelm: I got them on ze ropes America: nope

[@Scornbrand]

This highlights the importance of the U.S in the great war, I used to think because of other arguments that the U.S didn't do much as they joined the war late

[@Shuuchi0676]

Has the US ever done anything abroad NOT motivated by money?

[@ofallmyintention9496]

Of course not. The saddest thing is that the American public point fingers at each other (i.e. democrats, republicans, etc) instead of the real evil: the federal government.

[@BasicLib]

Has any state ever done anything abroad not motivated by money and economics?

[@ninds437]

A video about the Peloponnesian War would be interesting

[@ShahanshahShahin]

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is your best source for the Peloponnesian war

[@AD-cc7bj]

@@ShahanshahShahin haha

[@Status1985Quo]

The Weaver scopes as seen on the rifles were used in WW2, not WW1.

[@Duplessis696]

I really apreciate your videos. It give a bigger picture of history.

[@marshalabbas1313]

Hello, Kings and Generals can you pls do a video about the Spanish armada and its rise and fall?

[@theawesomeman9821]

The only reason why America bothered to join the Allies militarily was because the Allies owed them lots of money and helping them win the war garunteed that America would get its money back.

[@philipuslll]

With large profits

[@-RONNIE]

Really interesting video thanks for sharing it with us

[@City-Hunter]

Still nothing about Admiral Pierre André de Suffren, still recognized as one of the greatest naval military strategists of all time.

[@aneanderthalscout37]

Thumbnail instantly reminded me of the 'Gun Devil' from Chainsaw man out of random lmfao

[@fgdentz]

Great Channel

[@Spacemongerr]

It was James Bissonnette.

[@richardgietzen4591]

Nothing is mentioned about the ( Balfour Deceleration )

[@MrGouldilocks]

Great video! I hope you have a similar video planned for Central Power finances.

[@Uzair_Of_Babylon465]

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job

[@johndeboyace7943]

This is why the US was so hesitant to be involved in what would become WW2. The public realized how they were manipulated into entering WW1. They fought for the Wall Street financiers and full employment, thus helping the politicians. Why Wilson is thought of as a great President mystifies me.

[@ineshvaladolenc6559]

Exactly. When world war 2 was over, guess who was excluded from the talks? The bankers. FDR also introduced the new deal, making millions of jobs in the public sector, and the glass steagal act, which limited the powers of Wall Street. Sadly, Nixon took the dollar off the gold standard. Then, Regan, Clinton... and the rest of neoliberal reactionaries rolled back those checks on Wall Street and let the finance industry run wild. Most of the problems in today's America stem from there. RIP America. Was fun while it lasted.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

I want to know the list of the oldest debt from wars until today’s.

[@Jsay18]

And then it got thrown to the Federal Reserve, and we were fucked.

[@beataven63]

Excellent work.

[@TrollDer]

I didnt know that. Thanks for your videos!

[@paulabraham2550]

Great stuff on an overlooked aspect of the war. But I could have done without the cast of creepy zombies with blank expressions swaying gently in the breeze. This is going to give me nightmares!

[@johnsturgeon9995]

I love this series as well as everything else on this channel. However the overwhelming number of info boxes is so annoying. I have to pause the video every two minutes to read them and it totally messes up the flow of the video. I'd much rather have the narrator just say it and have a slightly longer video.

[@lukang72]

This is absolutely brilliant and original analysis. Bravo!

[@jameslawrie3807]

An important factor is that JP Morgan owned or had controlling interests in all the US-UK/Europe shipping lines apart from the Cunard Line. His shipping was getting slaughtered.

[@stynkanator]

War continuous to be a very profile business for a select few in the US.

[@iattacku2773]

War has always been profitable for a select few

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

Actually these wars were profitable for all Americans

[@ricotkaufman4212]

Thanks!

[@hakimus]

Coul be interesting a mention to the cousins Max and Paul Warburg...

[@deninurdiansyah6477]

Very nice educated video

[@JohnJohn-pe5kr]

I was expecting a pacific war video but I forgot K&G were working on Midway can't wait to watch.

[@ofallmyintention9496]

The American government has always been playing both sides, as well as their own people, especially since 1913...Most Americans are too busy singing the Star Spangled Banner to pay any attention.

[@geordiedog1749]

“Munitions exports exploded” like what you did, there:)

[@stephendean2896]

Printing more money is a tax on anyone owns the currency

[@evelgent1847]

Thumbnail looking epic

[@markusskram4181]

Interesting video !

[@Digmen1]

I saw a doco on YT years ago about how Great Britiain could have stopped the war in two or three days due to its finanical power. But I did not get to watch it all, and have lost it. Any comments?

[@PartyFlorida]

Great video, thank you!

[@2Sor2Fig]

6:50 - The poignant accuracy of this image cannot be overstated.

[@BookofFuture]

This kind of helps explain the appeal of communism and fascism in the postwar period.