Conspiracy Theories 100 Years Ago

THE JEW BANKERS STARTED WORLD WAR ONE!!!!!!

That was being thrown around by a lot of people, even heads of state.:(

Hitler pushed it. His version was Jewish bankers started the Great War to deny the Germans (Aryan) people their right full place a leaders of humanity.

Henry Ford loved it too. He had already bought off on the Jewish banker theories before 1914 so this War Conspiracy was a natural for him. It had fallout in the 1940s when Henry kept refusing contracts to build engines & other items for the British. Edsel tried to slip a contract to build Merlin engines past Henry who spotted the subterfuge and refused to sign it. Allison got the primary contract instead & teamed up with a number of other small contractors to manage the massive order.
 

Tovarich

Banned
Hitler pushed it. His version was Jewish bankers started the Great War to deny the Germans (Aryan) people their right full place a leaders of humanity.

Henry Ford loved it too. He had already bought off on the Jewish banker theories before 1914 so this War Conspiracy was a natural for him. It had fallout in the 1940s when Henry kept refusing contracts to build engines & other items for the British. Edsel tried to slip a contract to build Merlin engines past Henry who spotted the subterfuge and refused to sign it. Allison got the primary contract instead & teamed up with a number of other small contractors to manage the massive order.
Must've seriously pissed him off when the Dagenham plant committed to war production and there was nothing he could do about it :D
 
Must've seriously pissed him off when the Dagenham plant committed to war production and there was nothing he could do about it :D

One could probably write a book on the silliness Fords racism brought forth. One of my customers had a long monograph published on the 'Jewish' libel suit successfully made against Henry Ford. Another of his less steller moments.
 
The oldest known conspiracy theory I know of are the rumors going around that Alexander the Great had a role in the killing of his father Philip of Macedon.
 
There's a long history of pre-JFK conspiracy theories in the Americas and Europe stretching at least as far back as the Glorious Revolution (crypto Catholic kings anyone?). Both sides of the American Revolution and the Civil War had their lunatic conspiraicst fringes. And then there were the freemason, illuminati, communist, Catholic, and of course Jewish conspiracy theories. It's interesting reading, I'm amazed how little they've changed over the years; most are just recycled with a fresh coat of paint and new target.
 

CalBear

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In 1915/1916, there were theories about Woodrow Wilson either a. trying to drag us into the war on the British side because he was being bribed by the British or b. trying to prevent us from joining the British side because he was being bribed by the Germans.

Earlier, there were conspiracy theories about how it was impossible for a couple of bicycle mechanics without formal degrees to build a working airplane, so they had either faked it or had a secret sponsor/designer working with them.

Now, if Wilson had been smart he would have set it up so he was being bribed by both sides. Dream scenario.
 
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