ABSTRACT
The United States became a world financial power during and after World War I. The war and its aftermath drew the country's major banks into international lending in unprecedented amounts, for the United States was a capital-rich country in a capital-starved world. In the 1920s, foreign loans were immensely popular on Wall Street, and America's leading financial institutions developed important economic interests in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. As their interests became more international, the bankers pressured the U.S. government for policies in line with their global concerns.
