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Andrew carnegie and john d. rockefeller are examples of what
Andrew carnegie vs rockefeller compare and contrast
Andrew carnegie vs rockefeller compare and contrast
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In the 18th and 19th centuries, the captains of industry, more popularly known as robber barons, controlled big businesses, but through unethical, cut-throat ways. Robber barons were the wealthy citizens who owned successful businesses which used tactics that kept them on top, and there competitors below them. These tactics included, trusts, pools, and holding companies, which were all forms of monopolies. There were many individuals who qualified as a robber baron, but three of the most well known are Andrew Carnegie, John Davidson Rockefeller, and John Pierpont Morgan.
Was John D. Rockefeller a robber baron? I’d say so. Through ruthless business tactics and exploitation of workers, he made a fortune in his lifetime. In this paper, I’m going to be talking about said business tactics and exploitation. If you believe Rockefeller was just a good business man who donated to the poor, I hope your view will be changed by the end.
When Cornelius Vanderbilt died he left his $100 million fortune to his son William Vanderbilt and they both had the same attitude. During the Gilded Age these big business and their owners were thought of as being Robber Barons or Captains of Industry. The poor working conditions that were provided, the corruption they led in government, and their use of child labor shows that they were Robber Barons. Children were used in labor to work a lot and most days of the week. Kids as young as 5 often worked as much as 12 to 14 hours a day for barely any pay.
During the 19th century, industrialization impacted the United States in many way. Industrialists, like John D. Rockefeller, owned or were involved in management of an industry. At the time, these agents were considered a “Robber Baron,” while others were considered a “Captain of Industry.” However, many were considered good because they were philanthropists. John D. Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York.
Robber barons, specifically Andrew Carnegie, an industrialist and John D. Rockefeller, a philanthropist, were the chosen, elite members of society according to the doctrine of Social Darwinism. Darwinism is when evolution occurs and the strongest organisms of an ecosystem survive and reproduce to outnumber the weaker, less fit organisms of an ecosystem. Similarly Social Darwinism follows the same concept, but in a capitalist sense of thought. Those who were able to exploit the Gilded Age’s laissez faire economy to their own benefit, like the robber barons Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel and J. D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil, were the fittest members of society because they were able to survive in the grueling and ruthless free economy. By usurping all of the fresh yet unfit immigrants that were flowing into the States due to the rise of urbanization, these two men integrated these easily-manipulated people into their factories to augment their profits.
Amongst the urbanization and technological advances during the Industrial Revolution emerged the titans of the industry. Fronting some of these major corporations were business leaders John D. Rockefeller and J. P. Morgan, who were most notable for the immoral practices and ruthless tactics they used to gain their wealth. On the contrary, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie headed the U.S. Steel Corporation, where he earned his millions through truthful and legal methods, making both viewpoints on business leaders valid. Through criminal and morally questionable schemes, the oil industry’s tycoon Rockefeller and financer J.P. Morgan corruptly made themselves a fortune, earning the label as “greedy and unscrupulous”, but not all industry leaders
Rockefeller, who controlled the oil industry at the time, Cornelius Vanderbilt and George Pullman, they controlled the railroad industry, Andrew Carnegie, who controlled the steel industry and J.P Morgan a figure in the United States economy. Their industries later created monopolies, which is the complete possession or control of supply or trade in a raw material or service. John D. Rockefeller was the first monopoly. They created trusts in order to eliminate any competition. Workers noticed that they weren’t being treated equally.
John D. Rockefeller Sr: How did John D. Rockefeller impact the Industrial Revolution John Davison Rockefeller Sr. once stated “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success” (John D. Rockefeller Quotes). John D. Rockefeller was the founder of Standard Oil in which then became one of the wealthiest men in the world. Rockefellers ongoing funding as a philanthropist and trust in oil is how the man's name still lives on to this day (The Rockefeller Archive Center). For thousands of years oil has been a main resource for human consumption, and remains the same.
John D. Rockefeller owned a bunch of oil refineries and instead of drilling for his oil, he focused on refining it. Rockefeller later became the richest man in America of his time. He didn't treat his workers very well. He made them work long shifts and offered very low wages. Vanderbilt linked a railroad connecting the
Andrew Carnegie was one of the most famous and wealthiest American industrialist during the Industrial Age. He was a robber baron who made a fortune in the steel industry and applied vertical integration to his business. Carnegie contradicted his views as a robber baron because he supported, but destroyed many unions. This made many of his views unethical.
Barons such as Andrew Carnegie, J.P Morgan, and John Rockefeller dominated the country through the enormous wealth that they amassed. The power that these individuals wielded was unfathomable. They even bought the presidency. It was through their combined might that William McKinley was elected. This pushed their power and wealth to even greater heights.
A Captain of Industry is used to describe a successful businessman. Carnegie created an efficient steel industry. He did this by, converting iron into steel and built a new steel plant for his company called, Carnegie Steel Company. In the excerpt, “Who was Andrew Carnegie,” the author says, “Carnegie changed huge batches of iron into steel, which was much more flexible than brittle iron. Carnegie threw his own money into the process and even borrowed heavily to build a new steel plant near Pittsburgh.”
Rockefeller: The Captain of Industry that has helped our country thrive “The best philanthropy” he wrote, is constantly in search of finalities- a search for a cause an attempt to cure evils at their source” - John D. Rockefeller John D. Rockefeller was the richest man of his time but, used his wealth to improve our country. Rockefeller entered the fledgling Oil industry in 1863, by investing in a factory in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1870 Rockefeller established the Standard Oil Company. With the establishment of the oil company Rockefeller controlled 90% of the oil business in America by 1880.
Captains of Industry or Robber Barons? Mr. George Pullman was considered one of the worst robber barons of the 19th century. He manipulated his workers to do everything for him and strived for success. George Pullman was the third of ten children born to James and Emily Pullman. His family had relocated to Albion, New York, in 1845 so his father could work on the Erie Canal.
Robber Barons and Captains of Industry Some might believe that the businessmen of the Gilded age are robber barons because of how some of them treated their workers and spent their money. The businessmen of the Gilded Age were captains of industry because of the impact that they made on the country. Carnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan, and Vanderbilt all have done things that can identify them as captains of industry. These businessmen gave their time and effort to help the economy grow.
