How America Bought the British Empire for $3.75 Billion скачать в хорошем качестве

How America Bought the British Empire for $3.75 Billion

December 29, 2006: Britain made final payment to America for World War II. $83.25 million. Sixty years after victory. Original loan: $3.75 billion (1946). Total paid: $7.5 billion. But the loan was just the visible part. WHAT BRITAIN SURRENDERED 1940-1946: Gold reserves: $4 billion shipped to America (Operation Fish - largest wealth movement in history) Overseas investments: $12 billion sold at fire-sale prices. American Viscose: Worth $100M, forced to sell for $54M (half value). Bankers knew Britain had to sell. Caribbean bases: 99-year leases on Newfoundland, Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad, Antigua, British Guiana. In exchange for 50 obsolete WWI destroyers. Imperial Preference: Dismantled via Article VII. The tariff system protecting British goods in Empire markets. Forced to open Empire to American competition. Lost investment income: $30 billion over 60 years (assets sold generated $500M annually before war) Total wealth transfer 1940-2006: $450 billion (today's money) THE MECHANISM: September 1939: Britain wealthiest nation. Empire controlled 25% of Earth. $4B gold, $20B overseas investments, pound = reserve currency. US Neutrality Acts required "Cash and Carry" - pay cash upfront for weapons. Britain liquidated everything to pay. December 1940: Churchill writes Roosevelt: "We're broke." Henry Morgenthau (Treasury Secretary) demands complete audit. Prove total destitution before any aid. Forces sale of American Viscose, securities, gold. March 1941: Lend-Lease passes. Not gift. Lease with Article VII clause destroying Imperial Preference. August 21, 1945: Truman terminates Lend-Lease 7 DAYS after Japan surrenders. Ships mid-Atlantic ordered to turn around. Complete cutoff. September 1945: Keynes sails to Washington. Argues for $6B grant (justice for Britain's sacrifice). Americans offer $3.75B LOAN at 2% with conditions. Condition: Sterling convertibility within 1 year. Anyone holding pounds can convert to dollars. July 15, 1947: Pound made convertible. Immediate run. Lost $700M in 5 weeks. Suspended August 20. Burned 20% of loan for nothing. 1949: Pound devalued 30% ($4.03 → $2.80). Britons 30% poorer overnight. 1946-2006: Annual payments for 60 years. WHO BENEFITED: JP Morgan/Chase: Organized asset sales, collected fees American corporations: Captured British markets (Ford, GM, GE, Standard Oil) US government: Caribbean bases, dollar dominance IMF/World Bank: Created 1944, imposed American system globally THE TEMPLATE: Bretton Woods (1944): Dollar = reserve currency. IMF in Washington. World Bank American-controlled. IMF structural adjustment (1946-2025): Used on 80+ countries. Same playbook as Britain. Country faces crisis → IMF loan with conditions → privatize assets → currency convertibility → American corporations buy cheap → country can't compete → permanent debt. Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Greece: Same mechanism. Britain wasn't unique. Britain was the TEMPLATE. Marshall Plan (celebrated as generosity): $200B to rebuild all of Europe, didn't have to be repaid. Britain extracted: $450B, paid for 60 years. Germany LOST war, got free rebuilding. Britain WON war, paid until 2006. The financial story of WWII: America acquired global dominance through systematic asset stripping of closest ally. Britain defeated Hitler. Surrendered to American financial system. The mechanisms created 1940-1946 still operate today extracting wealth from debtor nations worldwide. DISCLAIMER This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It presents historical analysis, opinions, and interpretations based on publicly available sources. It is not financial advice, political advice, or a prediction of future events. All historical comparisons and references to modern countries or governments are theoretical and should not be interpreted as claims, certainties, or endorsements. Viewers are encouraged to research independently and draw their own conclusions.