Anon nails it here.
Three things occurred in 1913: 1 ) Passage of the Federal Reserve Act (called something different but the meaning is clear.) This gave international bankers a monopoly over money creation. The Act was passed without a quorum on Dec 23, but because no one objected, it went through.
2) Passage of the first real income tax on American citizens. This was to pay the international bankers interest on the money they have the privilege of creating out of thin air.
There has never been an audit of the Fed.
3) Given that these international bankers had no intention of paying this income tax, tax exempt foundations were started. With the huge funds in these Foundations, this monied elite started their march through our institutions in earnest.
They funded the AMA and started to dictate the terms of accreditation for our MDs, including curriculum which included much pharmacology. The new MDs became perveyors of Big Pharma products; They funded all manner of research institutions to be sure that findings were beneficial to them. The most recent example of this is climate-gate.; They encouraged and funded public education so that they were in control of creating dumbed down proletarians. The list goes on.
This sums up the trifecta of populace control. Just add food and water to the equation and mission accomplished. They are well on their way to doing both.
And they are very patient, waiting for generations to fulfill their long range plans.
Source: G. Edward Griffin, "The Creature from Jekyll Island." Well documented and worth the read.