Okay ... but who is "they"? A few individual, grey-haired heads, filled with the history of similar fiascos, did think of consequences: https://en.m.wikipedia

Okay ... but who is "they"? A few individual, grey-haired heads, filled with the history of similar fiascos, did think of consequences: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Monetary_Union https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Monetary_Union But the levers of political power were, then as now, in hands guided not by stale history, but by fresh opportunity for self-advancement.