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The social and economic effects of the industrial revolution
The social and economic effects of the industrial revolution
The social and economic effects of the industrial revolution
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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.
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.
The first concept is lucky opportunities. In the book Outliers Gladwell explains how many successful people receive luckey opportunities to make people successful in the future. He elaborates on how people who are successful normally did not get there on their own and explains how being at the right place at the right time can be the difference between success and failure. Sergey Brin had many opportunities that led him to becoming a billionaire. When Brin attended college at Stanford university where he met Larry Page and they became close friends.
The actions of these four businessmen in the late 1800s had overall a negative effect on society. These men were known as Robber Barons. A Robber Baron is someone who acquired a fortune in the 19th century by ruthless means. Examples of Robber Barons include JP Morgan, John Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie. These men gave horrible working conditions to their employees.
People have been successful repeatedly, but is there a pattern between wildly successful people? Do they have a secret to success that we can’t identify? What these authors believe is the secret to success is through research and observation. Malcolm Gladwell and Marge Piercy believe they have an answer to unlock success through that. In both texts, Malcolm Gladwell and Marge Piercy can agree on dedication, hard work, and purposeful practice are attributes you need to become successful.
Carnegie's business solidified the opposition however in spite of this, he trusted individuals ought to know the amount they are genuinely winning (Document 3). Carnegie realized that on the off chance that somebody didn't buckle down, they would not make the cut and get to be distinctly fruitful. Not exclusively was society enhanced by commitment to a business, however it could be enhanced by philanthropy
Karl Marx once wrote, “History calls those men the greatest who have ennobled themselves by working for the common good.” By all accounts, a hero is someone who not only has a positive impact on their community, but also consistently demonstrates their own selflessness, morality, compassion, and generosity. Was Andrew Carnegie one of these great, heroic men? Or was he just another wealthy hypocrite, chaining the poor to the harsh machinery of capitalism while claiming to be giving them the means with which to free themselves? By examining his personal life and opinions, his supposed “philanthropy” and the harsh and vile treatment of his labourers, it is evident that Andrew Carnegie cannot, in good conscience, be proclaimed a hero, as in most
Some of those who worked hard found success, such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. Carnegie was an immigrant who worked at a textile factory and worked hard to build a company that produced steel. Rockefeller worked as a clerk and made his way on top by owning the oil industry. Both men worked lower class jobs and ended up being well renowned for the amount of work they had to do to come out on top. “Especially in a new country where many tasks are waiting, where resources are strained to the utmost all the time, the judgment, courage, and perseverance required to organize new enterprises(sic) and carry them to success are sometimes heroic”
Andrew Carnegie stated, “There remains, then, only, one mode of using great fortunes; …the duty of the man of wealth (is to) set an example of modest … living…; and … to consider all surplus revenues … as trust funds … to produce the most beneficial results for the community.” (Document 8) Andrew Carnegie believed the wealthy had the responsibility to support and give back to the community, while he could not do the same for his workers. He thrived off this belief for others, donating to other causes, but his workers that were still suffering revealed Carnegie’s careless attributes. In the Rise of Big Business, it reads, “Carnegie’s watch on costs never let up in his first twenty-five years in the steel business. He grew more fanatical as years passed and competition stiffened.”
As Carnegie was growing both richer each day from his prosperous Steel company, he had eventually become one of the captains of industry and also in some cases a robber baron. Other owners like Rockefeller were also a part of this group. going back to the Gospel of Wealth, after Carnegie had accumulated an excessive amount of money he had pulled up from his successful industry, he felt the need to use it correctly to benefit everyone or people who didn't have as much money as
Media influence on Rockefeller I remember once stealing a small book from my father’s library while still in middle school. Later I found out that this book was talking about millionaires, analyzing their lives, habits, and skills. The most important thing that these, so called successful people had in common was their goal, their goal to achieve great wealth during their lifetime and they did so. They all knew exactly what they wanted so they went forward and achieved it. In addition, John D. Rockefeller, the wealthiest man in America and world during his time, has said “If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.”
Was Cornelius Vanderbilt a Robber Baron or Captain of Industry? A cruel businessman or an industrious leader? Henry J. Raymond believed that Vanderbilt was “a monopolist that crushed other competitors”(T.J Stiles). While he is also deemed one of America’s leading businessmen, and is also credited for helping shape the United States. His fortunes were made unfairly in some cases but his million dollar contribution to the Navy was very generous.
Think of success like watching a tree grow the branches split into different paths one can take each split is another opportunity to prosper and grow beautiful leaves like trophies. An uncommon belief is that the process of becoming successful is like a tree branch, if one starts off strong, more paths appear growing from the sturdy branch, and achieving goals lead to leaves growing to show wealth. “It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success,” (Gladwell 30). Author of nonfiction book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell, agrees with this uncommon belief, in his book he argues that success does not come from intelligence or passion
They filled out the spaces of failures by their perspective of opportunities and invented success. For example: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Nelson Mandela, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tupac Shakur and many more. If it wasn’t for them, world wouldn’t be where it is today in each and every way. No companies, no businesses, no refineries or nation would exist like they do, if it wasn’t for them. These entrepreneurs today are titled as “Richest”, not just because of the money they are making, but because they earned it, according to the deepest risks, best decision making and seeing a vision through it.
