The House of Rothschild, 1848 CE
Agenda: The Year of Revolution
“The time to buy is when there's blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own.”
— Baron Rothschild
In the age of kings and revolutions, the most enduring empire has not been built in palaces, but in private banks. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the Rothschilds have not merely observed European history – they have bankrolled it. For years, the House of Rothschild has operated beyond borders and beyond crowns. But power hidden behind closed doors invites rumours. And in the salons, pamphlets, and alleyways of Europe, one name is whispered with equal amounts of awe and unease.
From a small banking house in the Judengasse of Frankfurt, Mayer Amschel Rothschild began by dealing in coins, currency exchange, and credit. His breakthrough first came in the court of Hesse-Kassel, where he managed the assets of Prince Wilhelm IX, a relationship that allowed Rothschild to build capital as well as credibility.
But Mayer Amschel’s true legacy was strategic, sending his sons to establish branches of the family firm across Europe’s major capitals. This resulted in five brothers in five cities: Frankfurt, London, Paris, Vienna, and Naples, forming the first pan-European financial network of its kind. Through a tightly coordinated system of private messengers, the Rothschilds have been able to transmit intelligence before ministers even rise from their desks. Moreover, they financed Britain’s war against Napoleon, helped stabilise France after its Bourbon restoration, and became prominent backers of national infrastructure and imperial stability. However, in 1848, their empire stands at the brink of collapse.
The year before, the 1847 financial scare rattled markets and led to cascading failures in the railway sector, a key focus of Rothschild investment. In addition, the once-profitable Ottoman Empire, long a client and project of the House, is unravelling, and the cost of propping up its debt rises with every passing year. Across the Atlantic, a fast-growing United States poses a new kind of challenge as it is free from traditional alliances and monarchic stability.
Beneath it all, antisemitic rhetoric is gaining traction in radical circles, tying the family’s wealth to conspiracy, scapegoating, and suspicion, especially in regions where Jewish civil rights remain precarious and contested. Yet of all these threats, the most immediate and volatile is revolution.
Across the continent, revolts against long-standing monarchies are breaking out in rapid succession. The monarchy in France has already fallen, replaced by the Second Republic. Parisian workers, as well, are flooding the streets, demanding the right to work. In Vienna, the imperial capital is in peril, with Chancellor Metternich fleeing the city just days earlier, after protests against the Habsburg regime turned violent. Students, workers, and even segments of the army have turned against the court, demanding a constitution and greater liberties. In Berlin, demonstrations have begun to escalate into open conflict, with barricades being erected and the Prussian king under pressure to concede constitutional reforms amid calls for a united Germany. Italy, too, is nearing war, as uprisings spread through Milan and nationalist sentiment grows in the north, resulting in clashes with Austrian forces. From Naples to Budapest, Paris to Prague, Europe is not transforming, it is collapsing. Thrones are crumbling, empires are fracturing, and centuries of the old order are vanishing in days.
This revolutionary tide threatens not only royal clients but also the infrastructure on which the Rothschilds built their empire: sovereign bonds, discreet relations with monarchs, and status quo diplomacy. With state securities plummeting and monarchies falling like dominoes, questions grow sharper. Should the House continue to support failing regimes or shift allegiance to constitutional reformers? Can family unity survive national fragmentation? And most pressingly, what happens when the people begin to understand just how much power lies in the hands of one name?
While governments fall and republics rise, the House of Rothschild convenes with each of you assuming the roles of Rothschild family members and figures from their inner circle. Remember, you stand not only at the helm of Europe’s most powerful banking dynasty but at the crossroads of revolution and reaction. Every decision you make – whether to fund a crown, bet on a republic or preserve neutrality– could shift the course of Europe.
Money, after all, is never just money and in 1848, it may be the last pillar keeping the continent from ruin. So, keep this in mind, delegates. Power does not always wear a crown. Sometimes, it simply signs contracts.
Letter from the Director
Free will has been trademarked by the Rothschild crest. As the Director of The House of Rothschild, 1848, I expect every delegate to embody the superior nature expected of the Rothschild family. The world is your property, and if any being decides to contend this simple truth, feel free to purchase their permanent silence.
I, Atishay Dhadha, welcome you all to a meeting of the progenitors of capitalism. Man has created a power far out of the jurisdiction of any celestial entity, a power so seductive, that it ignores all barriers of rationale and it reigns as the master of its creator. That power is money; and the Rothschild family are the first to have truly harnessed it. Europe is under your dominion, however, its foundations are collapsing on itself as new social structures are being established. The sun is setting on nobility as the moon lends its dark shadows to aid the rebellions that demand reformation and reconciliation. The time of the common man demands its dawn. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Habsburg Empire of Austria, the French monarchy, the Kingdom of Prussia, and many others have been thrown into an unprecedented crisis against the proliferating ideals of democracy, liberalisation and constitutional governance. A chronicle of the revolution unfolding in front of you. Anti-semetic groups are disseminating ideas of Satanism being synonymous to Judaism with the aim of defiling the Jewish Rothschild name. The system of aristocratic primogeniture is succumbing to its self-inflicted wounds. War is imminent. Once again, Europe’s foundations are collapsing.
The House of Rothschild is made up of highborn individuals that are blessed with intrinsic malevolence. Each of your fates dictate a tryst with risk and an intense appetency for profit. Founded by Mayer Amschel Rothschild from the Jewish ghettos of Frankfurt, your House has been granted the status of nobility throughout numerous capitals of Europe. The founder’s five sons branched off to Vienna, Naples, Paris, London and expanded in Frankfurt, to create an elaborate network that weaved together any and all profits, whilst hiding from the public eye - using that very same woven veil. However, perforations are appearing in this elegant fabric as parts of this golden cloth are being stained red while other parts are being twisted into halters spinning about the necks of your fellow family members. Hidden and advertised predilections towards differing factions that each member harbours has resulted in the festering of suspicion. However, this chaos in Europe has also birthed several opportunities; and the blood of Rothschild, having spilled from the heart of avarice, commands each and every one of you to desperately climb the summit of monopoly.
My confidence in your ability to tackle these issues, delegates, is dependent on your competence. In this super-specialised committee, you can expect anything and everything to occur, so I sincerely advise all of you to enter the meeting of The House of Rothschild with the duplicity expected of you. My name is Atishay Dhadha, and I am a grade 12 student studying in the ISC curriculum. I believe that merit is a product of enjoyment, which is why I decided to host a committee that directly challenges my ideals. I am mainly interested in math, finance and law. However, I hold a special reverence for law as its ability to codify abstract concepts of morality in a purely logical manner has always fascinated me. Hence, I will be looking forward to a high level of technical debate. Other than academics, I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, ranging from hip-hop to shoegaze and much more. My favourite artist, currently, is 2hollis. He makes music under a sub-genre of EDM called ‘house’ and I am looking forward to any new music that you all send my way.
I would like to use this Director’s Letter to express a final farewell to my MUN career. Fortunately, it was characterised by many wins and a proportional amount of effort, however, I would like to talk about one instance where I lost. My blazer had come back from the dry cleaner’s and my suitcase was packed. Throughout the days building up to the MUN, I was working. Throughout the flight to the MUN, I was working. Throughout the time I was meant to unwind at the hotel, I was working. I lobbied, spoke constantly, offered up several detailed communiques, and wrote directives which, in my opinion, had significant impacts on the committee. I received nothing but praise in the feedback sessions - from my fellow competitors as well as from the Executive Board. However, I did not win. I got a Verbal Mention. This was a major disappointment to me. My friends and other delegates from my committee were consoling me, but their comforting words just aggravated the animosity I felt towards the EB. To all the delegates that have gone through this, or may have to go through this, I would like all of you to know that your capability is not determined by what others think your capability is, but it is your belief in your capabilities that define the true extent of what your capability is. So, believe in your capability to win and you will. Let merit follow your enjoyment.
Until August,
“Concordia Integritas Industria”
Atishay Dhadha,
Director,
The House of Rothschild, 1848,
Cathedral Model United Nations, 2025
Atishay Dhadha
Director