The question of whether John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were "captains of industry" or "robber barons" is a complex one. Both John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie played significant roles in the growth and development of American industry during the late 19th and early 26th centuries. On one hand, they are often referred to as "captains of industry" because of their entrepreneurial spirit and their ability to innovate and transform entire industries.
A “robber baron” is defined as one who uses immoral methods to get rich. John D. Rockefeller, king of oil and the owner of the Standard Oil Company, was known for these unscrupulous tactics. Rockefeller’s peculiar ideas of the “law of nature” in accordance with his “primitive savagery” allowed this stealthy businessman to manipulate his way to the top. Although Rockefeller’s oil monopoly attributed to the wealth of the American economy, he destroyed the morality of modest men to accomplish ultimate power and prestige making him one of the wealthiest industrialists during his time.
Name of Industrialist: Henry Ford How did he acquire his wealth? He acquire his wealth by being a self-made man, that revolutionize the car industry in the 90’s. How he (or his related industries) treated workers? Ford manage to lowered the cost of manufacturing, while providing a wage correspondent to more than double of the previous average.
John D. Rockefeller was called a robber baron because many people believed he used unethical business practices to amass his extraordinary wealth. One of the most known was his practice of demanding rebates from railroads. Because Standard Oil shipped such large amounts of oil by rail, Rockefeller insisted that the railroads offer him rebates, or a discounted rate. This policy gave Standard
John D. Rockefeller was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was born on a farm in New York-but moved to Cleveland, Ohio during the late 1850s where he became a successful businessman. As the years went by” he began to notice the oil industry” and he became interested. He lived in Cleveland which became a regional hub
John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were abundantly similar when it came to traits that made them sucessful in business endeavors. They both rose from extreme povery and disadvantage as children. Limitations did not exist when it came to their inner core of ruthlessness exhibited at times against their competitors and even their employees. They took complete control of every detail of their business and ran it with a prerogative to control a large part of the American economy.
Morgan, Rockefeller, and Carnegie all had their times when they acted like robber barons but the things they did as Captains of Industry over power what they did wrong which shows they did more good than bad. For example Carnegie donated more than $350 million to further public education, and build over 2,500 libraries. He did have times when he had his workers work long hours with little pay but his good, overpowered his bad. Another example was made by Rockefeller, in 1913, The Rockefeller Foundation was officially established and Rockefeller transferred $235,000,000 to it by 1929. He donated his money and proved he was a captain of industry.
Rockefeller was also one of the most successful wealthy Gilded Age entrepreneurs. Although Rockefeller did make a name for himself in the oil industry,supplying the U.S with oil, and creating the Standard Oil Company;his road to power was paved with the pain and suffering of others due to his malicious behavior. He should be remembered as a Robber Baron because of his attempts at monopoly, malicious behavior to those who stood in his way, and especially the treatment of his workers in order to get the wealth he desired. J.D. Rockefeller used tactics such as vertical integration, using rebates to transport his oil for cheaper prices, and using ruthless methods to eliminate the competition. Rockefellers ruthlessness lead him to be very successful up until his fatal encountered with Ida Tarbell.
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.
Rockefeller was the founder of Standard Oil, and helped revolutionize the gas and oil industry while Henry Ford revolutionized the factory setting and the assembly line. While JP Morgan was primarily a businessman, he revolutionized the basic business, and became a huge supporting cast for the railroad industry. Finally, Andrew Carnegie innovated the steel production industry, and made steel production and transportation thrive throughout the country. The individuals mentioned above are only a fraction of the many different people that thrived and helped develop America during the Gilded Age”. These famous, or infamous industrialization tycoons thrived during the late 19th century, and created many of the businesses and operations that we know
Coming with a successful business is people trying to find faults in your greatness. Rockefeller was a Captain of Industry, he helped improve the inventions we already had by making oil more readily available. By doing this he made a fortune which made people believe that he was unable to be trusted, but all of these suspicions were incorrect, Rockefeller made his money honestly and helped our country thrive and become who we are today. Rockefeller had competition in the oil industry but,
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.
The 1800s was a significant time period for American citizens. The rising industrial economy soon changed the idea of American culture. With the increasing population and expansion, new industries evolved. John D. Rockefeller was a man who took a chance in the new industry of oil refining. Through this new oil industry, Rockefeller became the wealthiest man and a major philanthropist in modern history.
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.
The men who built America also know the innovator is a docudrama and directed by Patrick Reams and Ruan Magan. This movie focuses on the life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford, and how their innovation and leadership skills renovated the modern society. But for the purpose of this assessment my research is based on John D Rockefeller and his leadership skills. Short History of John D. Rockefeller John D Rockefeller was born in 1839 in New York to Bill and Eliza Rockefeller. From a very young age his father taught him to be smart and cunning in every deal, and also not to trust anyone in his life including his father and His mother was a fervent Baptist and tried to instill in him the importance of being a good Christian.
