Identifier: menaroundkaiserm00wilerich (find matches)
Title: Men around the Kaiser; the makers of modern Germany
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Wile, Frederic William, 1873-1941
Subjects: William II, German Emperor, 1859-1941 Germany -- Biography Germany -- Politics and government 1888-1918 Germany -- Intellectual life
Publisher: Philadelphia, Lippincott
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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emispheres is mainlydirected. It is the Reichsbank, Imperial Germanyscentral bank of issue, which regulates the discountrate and keeps the currency mobile and liquid,but it is the Deutsche Bank which pioneers andfinances German enterprise oversea. At home itspower is comparable only to that of the Govern-ment itself. With an annual turnover which hasrisen since the Banks foundation from ;fi2,000,000to £6,500,000,000, it has come to wield a mightyinfluence over German economic life. Though he himself denies it, Arthur von Gwinner,the type of the German financier of the period, is thepresiding genius of the institution. It seems morethan an alphabetical coincidence that his name headsthe list of the Deutsche Banks directors. Once in awhile a new directoi is elected, but there is apparentlyan unwritten by-law providing that nobody shouldever be chosen whose name begins with a letterin advance of G. Gwinner describes himself as 36 O .» it, > *,»* ♦*»,»•» «• . > I » ♦
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GWINNER a simple member of the managerial board.Germany and the world, nevertheless, associate hisname with most of the big strokes the DeutscheBank periodically accomplishes. When the Kaiser,as he has more than once done, tries to per-suade Gwinner to enter the Cabinet and assumeeither the Prussian Ministership of Finance, or theSecretaryship of the Imperial Treasury, His Majestydirects his appeal to the man looked upon as thepremier banker of the realm. Gwinner is an ardentpatriot, but, like Ballin, he thinks he can renderthe Fatherland more effective service by sticking tohis last than by taking office. The Deutsche Bank may be called twin to theEmpire. It was established in 1870, almost at thevery hour Bismarck and Moltke went to war withFrance. No other institutions rise has been socoincident with the economic development ofGermany itself. The Deutsche Banks year-by-yeargrowth from small beginnings to its present dimen-sions is Germany in composite. Industry in theFatherland is m

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