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Andrew Carnegie's View Of Wealth During The Industrial Revolution

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During the industrial revolution, leaders of industrialism were brilliant, innovated, and ambitious men who rejuvenated the American economy decades after the Civil War. Andrew Carnegie is one of these industrial leaders who had a positive impact on society. He is considered to be a true “captain of industry” (Shi, "Robber Barons") , not just because of the businesses he developed, but because of his desire to better society for all people and not just for himself (Shi, "Robber Barons"). Carnegie believed that those of mass wealth should make a moral choice to make it their responsibility to share their wealth for the utilitarianism of society. 1.) Andrew Carnegie and his family left Scotland for the United States in 1848 and settled …show more content…

Carnegie intended for his publication the “Gospel of Wealth” to appeal to the well-educated entrepreneurs, men of big business, and the wealthy. He wanted to offer advice to those who were wealthier than most to use the “Gospel of Wealth” as a guide to distributing ones wealth in a productive and beneficial way that would help make society better. During this time period the majority of most cities populations were made up of the poor working class compared to the amount of wealthy individuals (Olivier, S2: Supplementary …show more content…

Carnegie stated that it is “much better this great irregularity than universal squalor” (Andrew Carnegie, “Wealth”). I believe that Carnegie contradicts himself with this statement, and I feel that it could be considered to create an ethical situation. Through his works he emphasizes the importance of sharing wealth for the greater good of society and to bridge the gap between the classes, but yet this statement seems to say that only a few are chosen to be wealthy while the rest of society is not. It in some ways undercuts the capabilities of the lower class. The giants of industrialism made their fortunes because of the labor of those worked for them. During this time working conditions were less than tolerable and workers were treated unethically, especially compared to laws and procedures of today’s

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