The Rothschilds Have Been One of the World's Wealthiest Families for Centuries

Plenty of people are wealthy at least in part because they have inherited massive sums of money from their parents. Generational wealth is definitely not a new phenomenon in America, but few families have been wealthy for quite as long as the Rothschilds, whose fortune was first established in the 1760s with the beginnings of their banking business.

The family's fortune was considered to be the greatest in the world during most of the 19th century, but that wealth declined throughout the 20th century as it was split among many descendants. Now, many want to understand how much wealth the Rothschilds still have at their disposal all these years later.

Thanks in large part to the persistence of their baking empire, the Rothschild family is estimated to have a collective net worth of roughly $400 billion. While no individual member of the family is the richest person in the world, that collective net worth means that they live in incredible luxury, as their family has for generations. This is true even though the current Rothschilds are less wealthy than they were at some points in their history.

Although Elon Musk is currently the world's wealthiest individual when adjusted for inflation, the massive sum that the Rothschild family collected in the 19th century remains unsurpassed based on the sheer scale. The Rothschild family's wealth and influence undeniably peaked during this era, when they played a role in politics across the globe, often providing funds for colonization efforts and backing different national governments during wartime.

Although they no longer have that same level of influence, the modern Rothschilds still have significant interests in the worlds of mining, financial services, real estate, agriculture, winemaking, and philanthropy. They still run or are partners in investment banks all over the world, and recently took their Paris investment bank private after acquiring more shares in it.

Although it's undeniable that the Rothschilds are wealthy and were therefore hugely influential at various points in their family history, they have also been subject to a number of conspiracy theories, many of which have antisemitic under or overtones.

After all, much of what anti-semites believe boils down to a belief that wealthy Jews have undue influence over the world because of their vast fortunes. While the Rothschilds are wealthy and have been hugely influential on the course of history, that has little to do with their Judaism. Nevertheless, as we have seen in recent months, those conspiracy theories have a way of sticking around.