“Its A Wonderful Life” was about a much more local, and responsible banking system.
Before WWII, there were laws in states regarding “bank double liability” - Bank owners/shareholders were not only risking their own capital, they were responsible to pay back creditors/depositors to the bank in the case of failure. It made them extremely cautious.
Given currency links to gold, no Federal Reserve money printing, and extreme caution on the part of bankers, we actually had a very stable, fair, and NON POLITICAL financial sector
In “Its A Wonderful Life” George Bailey supports a solid middle-class lifestyle circa 1943 on $45 a week - with Mary Bailey home with the kids.
The Fed has destroyed the dollar and they’re not finished yet.