Robber Barons Essay -- essays research papers

The Robber Barons, as they were called, were the kings of American Industry and American hostelry during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Rich beyond the average mans wildest dreams, these industrialists were often criticized for their philosophies and their ways of making money. Robber Barons can overly be viewed as immoral, greedy, and corrupt, and the evidence to acquit such a view is not difficult to find. Bribery, illegal business practices, and cruelty to workers were not uncommon in this period, and numerous of the most respected industrialists were also the most feared and hated.Many people consider Rockefeller a robber of industry because of his forcible ways of gaining his monopolies. Rockefeller was fond of buying out small and large competitors. If the competitors refused to dispense they often found Rockefeller cutting the prices of his Standard Oil or in the worst cases, their factories mysteriously blowing up. Rockefeller was obsessed with controlling the oil mark et and used many of undesirable tactics to flush his competitors out of the market. Rockefeller was also a master of the rebate game. He was one of the most dominant controllers of the railroads. He was so goodness at the rebate that at some times he skillfully commanded the rail road to pay rebates to his standard oil company on the concern of other competitors. He was able to do this because his oil traffic was so high that he could make or break a section of a railroad a railroad company by simply not running...