How "The Rothschilds of The East" Stole Asia: The Sassoon Dynasty's Controversial History

The Sassoon Dynasty - the so-called "Rothschild Family of the East" emerged on the twilight of the Ottoman Empire, and would transform Asia's destiny, yet few in the West know their name.

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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
1:30 Chapter 1: Foundation Through Force
7:22 Chapter 2: Empire's Dark Expansion
10:44 Chapter 3: The Four Faces of Power
15:01 Chapter 4: Empire Under Scrutiny
19:03 Chapter 5: A Complex Legacy

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Their story begins with David Sassoon's desperate flight from persecution in Baghdad, arriving penniless on India's shores as an Iraqi Jewish immigrant in the 1830s.

Within decades, the Sassoons had woven a commercial empire stretching from Mumbai to Shanghai, London to Hong Kong, their influence extending far beyond mere trade into politics, culture, and society across Asia.

Born in 1792 to Baghdad's chief treasurer, David inherited a legacy bridging religious scholarship and worldly power. His claimed lineage to King David opened Ottoman doors, while his mastery of multiple languages proved invaluable in building a commercial empire.

The family's transformation accelerated after the First Opium War when David recognized opportunity in British colonial expansion. Protected by the British navy, Sassoon ships soon dominated Asian trade routes.

Under his sons Albert and Elias, the empire expanded beyond opium into cotton mills, docks, and banking. Their rise coincided with China's "Century of Humiliation," as they established footholds in territories still reeling from military defeat.

By 1890, when Queen Victoria made Albert a baronet, the Sassoons had become integral to British colonial commerce. Their wealth funded hospitals, schools, and synagogues across Asia, even as their business practices raised moral questions.

The family embodied power's complexities in the British Empire. Sir Albert hosted London nobility while maintaining Jewish traditions, while his niece Rachel Beer shattered Victorian conventions by taking control of both The Observer and The Sunday Times.

Victor Sassoon, the great-grandson of David, sought to reinvent the family's image in 1920s Shanghai. His masterpiece, the Cathay Hotel, rose ten stories above the Bund, its art deco facade declaring a new era of Sassoon influence.

Today, their legacy stands in steel and stone. Mumbai's Sassoon Docks still hosts the city's largest fish market, while Shanghai's Peace Hotel - once Victor's Cathay - commands the Bund, its green pyramid roof a reminder of an era when Eastern glamour met Western might.

The family's impact spans religion, commerce, and culture. David Solomon Sassoon assembled one of the world's great Hebrew manuscript collections, while their philanthropy built institutions that still shape modern Asia.

Their story raises complex questions about power and responsibility in the colonial era. The same family that fled persecution would profit from systems of exploitation, their charitable works funded by controversial trade practices.

This is a tale of brilliant innovation and ruthless exploitation, of philanthropic works and moral compromise - how one family helped build modern Asia while simultaneously profiting from its darkest vices.