Jacob Schiff and the Art of Risk

Description

Jacob Henry Schiff (1847–1920), a German-born American Jewish banker, facilitated critical loans for Japan in the early twentieth century. Working on behalf of the firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., Schiff’s assertiveness in favour of Japan separated him from his fellow German Jewish financiers and the banking establishment generally. This book’s analysis differs from the consensus that Schiff funded Japan largely out of enmity towards Russia but rather sought to work with Japan for over thirty years. This was as much a factor in his actions surrounding the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) as his concern to thwart Russian antisemitism. Of interest to financial historians alongside Japanese historians and academics of both genres, this book provides a lively and thoroughly researched volume that precisely focuses on Schiff’s mastery of banking. Front Matter ....Pages i-xv Introduction (Adam Gower)....Pages 1-22 Historiography (Adam Gower)....Pages 23-74 Jacob Schiff and His Cohort (Adam Gower)....Pages 75-107 Japan (Adam Gower)....Pages 109-142 The Business of Banking (Adam Gower)....Pages 143-180 The English Syndicate (Adam Gower)....Pages 181-196 Financing the War (Adam Gower)....Pages 197-269 Impact and Conclusions (Adam Gower)....Pages 271-300 Back Matter ....Pages 301-338