I never said it wasnt manipulated or being undermined
The OP stated "What keeps money so important? Like what makes it so valuable that you can trade it for anything?
I was merely explaining that we dont work for MONEY per se, We work to be able to exchange labor or time for goods and services. Money merely makes it easier to trade. 500 years ago we didnt use money, we bartered. Ill trade you a goat for 3 chickens, 2 oz of gold for a house, etc. The problem was that without a universal currency, different areas, dialects, cultures had a problem trading. A goat is worth more to a farmer than a city dweller. Money merely made a currency that was accepted (post civil war actually) as a trading vehicle. It had universal value to it.
It allowed the globalization of economies as well.
For a long time money was tied to the Gold Standard, when we went off that is when the true monetary policy and manipulation took hold. However it has been going on for a long time. IIRC it was Hamilton who eradicated the central bank, but then the FED RESERVE was formed in the early 1900s and we have been kinda screwed since then.
There is a slight conspiracy slant to this, look past it, but most of the information is correct.
The Money Masters (1996) [FULL DOCUMENTARY] - YouTube