Who Financed the Great War?

Today I am continuing with the topic of World War I, highlighting a video that recently showed up in my YouTube feed from the Kings and Generals channel. They, according to their "About" page,

...create animated historical documentaries. Currently, we are running parallel series covering the Mongol invasions, Hundred Years' War, Napoleonic Wars, Ottoman Conquests and the Restoration of Justinian.

I first started watching their videos as they were producing a series on the military career of Julius Caesar and the post-assassination exploits of Octavian, aka Augustus. I find their videos quite thorough and well-paced, not getting bogged-down in the minutiae that military histories can fall victim to. And they take the time to explore cultural and economic tangents, so its not just battles and biographies of generals. The maps are interesting and based on a globe projection, but the attempted realism of animated humans crosses into the uncanny valley at least a couple times per video. A lot of the time I'm just only listening to them like an audiobook or podcast anyway. The bottom line is that I usually learn a new thing or two from watching them, so Kings and Generals have my endorsement for educational content. 

Recently they also started a side channel called Wizards and Warriors which explores the military history of various sci-fi and fantasy series like LOTR, ASOIAF, The Witcher. So the nerd version of their main channel! I am hoping they eventually do some on The Expanse and Babylon 5. Maybe even Doctor Who... 

Anyway, I digress. The video I am sharing explores the economic reasons why the United States entered World War I. Like the German attempts to destabilize the US through terror and sabotage in yesterday's post, the details of how JP Morgan needed the Allies to win so the banking sector wouldn't collapse doesn't get as much attention as a cause for US entry into the war as the sinking of luxury liners by U-boats does. But it should.

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If you want to skip the paid promotion, start playing at about 1:47. 

Of course, if you want to watch an ad for the video game Iron Order: 1919, where you can simulate what would have happened if WWI kept on going after the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, until the war is being fought with battle mechs and mega-robots, watch the video from the beginning.

Enjoy!