City Bankers, 1890-1914 is a major contribution to a controversial area of economic history and to the debate about the nature of British society in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. Translated here into English for the first time, it provides a detailed analysis of the banking community of London between 1890 and 1914 when the City of London was the undisputed financial centre of the world. Attention is paid to the social origins, education, careers , business interests and fortunes of its members, to the networks of relationships of its most important dynasties, as well as to the political influence of the world of banking. The analysis is based on a sample of 460 bankers at the heart of international finance and the author has used a wide range of banking archives and private papers. Business historians and economists will welcome this comprehensive study of a most important group of capitalists at the junction of the business world and aristocratic society in the Edwardian age.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the English Edition; Introduction; 1. Banks and bankers; 2. Paths to banking; 3. The banking profession; 4. Financial interests and commitments; 5. Banks' profits, bankers' fortunes; 6. Marriages and dynasties; 7. The aristocratic way of life; 8. Finance and politics; Conclusion; Sources and bibliography; Index.