La dynastie Rothschild

by Herbert R. Lottman

O nome 'Rothschild' pode ser considerado sinônimo de riqueza, influência e poder. Da Judengasse, o gueto judeu de Frankfurt em meados do século XVIII, onde nasceu Mayer Amschel, aos grandes centros financeiros da Europa às vésperas do século XXI, para onde os descendentes do patriarca estenderam seus domínios, Herbert R. Lottman procura relatar o passado desta dinastia, que se confunde com os principais lances da história europeia nos dois últimos séculos.

Genres: Biography

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Herbert Lottman was an American journalist and author who spend most of his life in France.
He majored in English and biology at the University of New York, graduating in 1948 and earned a master’s in English from Columbia in 1951.
In 1956 he moved to Paris and became the manager of the Paris branch of the publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He also was writing for Publishers Weekly for four decades and wrote a novel, Detours From the Grand Tour.
But he is most reknowned for his biographies on French personalities and his writings on French intellectual life.

Reviews

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read before (or tried too) two biographies from the same collection, one of Lenin and the other one of Gandhi, but could not follow any of the two. This one I could finish, the text is more fluid. But I found that the author did not explain as detailed and clear as I would have liked it to how the Rothschilds conducted their business and what were the real secrets of their success. But I think my expectations were a little different. Not that I wanted to replicate their business model, but it would have been more interesting to really understand this.

Definitely it was interesting to notice the influence they had in the early 19th century, having as dinner guest even the emperor. And the contract with the Nazi period when Hitler's administration have stollen almost everything from their house, including Hitler's most cherished Vermeer The Astronomer.

[Ciberaquelarre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Como libro de historia para alguien a quien siempre se le ha atragantado resulta interesante, he aprendido bastantes cosas leyendo con Internet abierto al lado.

Hay dos cuestiones bastante recurrentes que me han llamado la atención para mal.
1. Parece que toda la oposición a los rothchild, toda la crítica a su "dinastía" Viene de la extrema derecha antisemita y de los Eduardo Inda de la época diciendo auténticos disparates, como si no hubiera nadie cabal al que le pareciese mal que manejasen la banca a su gusto y abarcasen riquezas inabarcables.
2. Se habla largo y tendido de la prensa antisemita y del daño que les hacía pero apenas se menciona los medios de comunicación que controlaban y en los que a día de hoy siguen teniendo influencia.

Entiendo que el autor ha querido destacar lo que nunca se destaca de ellos y que ha sido un ejercicio de alejarse de cualquier teoría de la conspiración ridícula que se cuenta por ahí.
Las últimas 100 páginas son una ristra de movimientos financieros y nombres de empresas, para mi gusto infumable, entiendo que haya a quien le gusten estos datos.

Si quieres saber del tema está bien leerlo.

[David Alonso vargas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curiosa biografía de toda una saga cuyo apellido es sinónimo de riqueza. Está bien aunque le falta un punto de buena prosa a la inglesa.
Bien en general.

[Orlando Díaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increible libro que por sus referencias y redacción muestra una nueva cara despojadas de teorias conspirativas de una de las familias de mayor éxito en la historia.