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11: The Corporate Kings of the First Gilded Age

 In the late 19th century, America was a democracy on paper — but an oligarchy in practice.

The so-called Gilded Age (roughly 1870–1900) saw titans like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and Cornelius Vanderbilt seize enormous wealth and power.
They monopolized industries, from oil to steel to banking. They bought politicians wholesale. They bent the courts to their will. They used violence against workers demanding fair pay.

This was not "free enterprise."
It was government and business fused together, serving the few at the top — while farmers, immigrants, factory workers, and small business owners sank deeper into poverty.

The media largely acted as cheerleaders, convincing everyday Americans that the wealthy deserved their fortunes because of "hard work" and "genius" — ignoring the bribery, price-fixing, and brutal exploitation beneath it all.

Resistance was met with deadly force:

  • The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 — crushed by militias and federal troops.
  • The Haymarket Affair (1886) — where police fired into a crowd of workers.
  • The Homestead Strike (1892) — where Carnegie's steel mill guards massacred strikers.

The Gilded Age was a brutal lesson:
Without organized resistance, wealth and power will always seek to rule unchecked.


Sources and Further Reading:

  • “The Gilded Age” – Library of Congress Overview
  • Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States

Recommended Books:

  • Robber Barons: The Great American Capitalists by Matthew Josephson
  • Understanding Socialism by Richard Wolff (for analysis on how power systems sustain inequality)

Action Steps:

  • Support modern labor movements like FiftyFifty and May Day Strong
  • Educate yourself and others. Knowledge is the first weapon.

Follow the series at: http://nokingsinphilly.blogspot.com/



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