The Tontine Coffee-House

In 1915, the United States, a nation that had borrowed from Europe for its entire history, was asked to lend half a billion dollars to the countries that had long been its creditors.

A significant amount of political energy was poured into the cause of breaking up American monopolies in the 1890s and 1900s.

When money-managers were searching for an investment offering inflation protection and a shortage of commercial properties existed in early-1970s Britain, a building boom got underway.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was established to provide deposit insurance in the U.S. and prevent bank runs.

Even quite simple economies need money.

There were several banks conducting both British and Dutch business in the second half of the 18th century.

Timing is everything.

The 1690s saw major developments supporting London’s role as a financial center.

The United States may have had a substantial economy well before the end of the 19th century and its international trade was sizeable too.

Amsterdam was the first city in the world with an active stock market.

After the French Revolution, the advancing armies of France’s new militant republic distressed many in Europe and some fared far worse than the continent’s merchants during these years.

Communist countries in Europe developed large planning bureaucracies and the infrastructure needed to confirm and force compliance with plans.

While not uncontested by other Italian city-states, Venice was a candidate for the foremost financial center of Europe in the 15th century.

Various Italian city-states excelled in banking as it existed in 15th century Europe.

France was the setting of one of the largest early experiments with paper money in Europe.

The early diplomatic history of the United States, before the War of Independence even came to a close, revolved around securing recognition from other countries and raising money from their governments, bankers, or investors.

Commodity exports were the mainstays of peripheral economies in the 19th century.