Leftist antisemitism drew strength from Jews’ actual moneylending and finance roles

Evidence

These sentiments on the left were strengthened first by the fact that the Alsatian Jews continued to live from lending money to peasants, a practice which had already prompted Napoleon’s decree of 1808. After conditions had changed in Alsace, leftist antisemitism found a new source of strength in the financial policies of the house of Rothschild, which played a large part in the financing of the Bourbons, maintained close connections with Louis Philippe, and flourished under Napoleon III. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 170

Categorization

• XREF: Pattern: antisemitism anchored to real (if exaggerated) economic functions — parallels how later readings treat the constructed ‘Other’ via actual socioeconomic position. — connects to: Jewish economic roles made them appear as capitalism’s aggressive face to oppressed masses; Anti-Semitic theorists subordinated the Illuminati to an overarching Jewish plot led by money. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 279; Jewish wealth simultaneously attracted antisemitism and enabled socialist identification in heirs