The Money Masters

The Money Masters is a 3.5 hour documentary detailing the history of the US monetary system. It is long but I consider it essential background information for directing our future course as a nation.
Yes, it's a bit dry and slow; the narrator likes to shake his pen at you, and there are plenty of hard cuts to countless different locations (hard cuts bad, change of scenery good). The film was made from 1996 and the production quality is low.
Yet, as the film gets going, the story of monetary history takes on engaging and thought-provoking qualities. It is obviously thoroughly researched and the quotes are always pointed, relevant, and supportive of the claims he makes.

He goes into detail on the Federal Reserve system, central banking, fractional reserve banking, fiat money, debt-based money, silver and gold, and the gold standard. He changed me from pro-gold standard to anti-gold standard with a simple argument:
The aim of the gold standard is to distribute control of wealth and create an inflation proof currency. However, (as of 1996) central banks of the world controlled 2/3rds of the gold. A return to a gold standard therefore would not decentralize that wealth and with that, inflation would not be affected. For further elaboration, just watch the video.

Agenda: showcase the evils of central banking, eliminate fractional reserve banking, eliminate of the Fed, move to a government issued and controlled fiat money (non-debt-based) similar to Lincoln's greenbacks

Money as Debt

This 50 minute video describes simply, but also thoroughly, how banking works today and how banking came to be that way. It covers fractional reserve banking, debt-based money, gold, etc.

However, I strongly dislike the cheesy clip art style animations and the obviously over-the-top characterizations of bankers and government (and everyone else frankly). Also, he uses some spurious or questionable quotes (like the Woodrow Wilson one). Yet, a great deal of powerful information lies beneath that veneer of heavy-handed bias. Use your head and don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
I still heartily recommend watching it.

Agenda: bankers are evil, elimination of debt-based money (debt to private banks), banking as non-profit government outfit that makes interest-free loans, government created and managed value-based money (money printed by gov't for public works that promote economic growth: roads, bridges, harbors)

(There is about 15 secs of black video before the it actually begins. Just wait it out or skip it.)


I know there is a revised edition of this video on DVD which I believe addresses some the issues I have with this video. I also know there is a sequel; I am in the process of finding both.

A Brief History of US Money

This 13 minute run-down of the history of the US dollar is an excellent and concise summary. It is chocked full of facts and careful examinations of the variants of US money. He makes his position quite clear at the end, which some may not agree with, but I'm glad he is so overt with it. He does a great job of piecing together history with the value of the dollar to draw out the true power of the dollar value versus time graph.

Agenda: abolish the Fed, return to a gold/silver standard, return to coins

Part 1:


Part 2: