Thomas Sowell outlines a peculiar time in American political history that saw the rise of the Progressive Party. Much of what happened back then seems like the blueprint for Obama’s regime now.
Thomas Sowell outlines a peculiar time in American political history that saw the rise of the Progressive Party. Much of what happened back then seems like the blueprint for Obama’s regime now.
The progressive ideology has Marxism as its basis. Thomas Sowell’s article are always worth reading and never disappointing.
I like Professor Sowell, but I think the case here is overstated. The trusts were essentially monopolies; like all monopolies, they sought to restrict the competition that capitalists are supposed to favor. That’s what permitted the “robber barons,” particularly in the railroads, to, well, rob. Much better to have a well-working competitive market, enforced if necessary through the antitrust laws. Wilson’s restrictions on freedom of speech were done in the context of World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution. The Red Scare started from legitimate concerns about anarchist terrorism, including an attack on the Attorney General and Supreme Court Justices and even an attack on Wall Street itself, not far from the site of the 9/11 attacks.
Good post pick Robert. You must be an avid reader as well and for the most part I am inclined to be in lock step with you on most accounts. You should probably ask Kate for a raise. 🙂
bverwey
@John
But exactly who got robbed by the robber barons?
By transporting his Oil in tanker cars and not like his competition in drums that had to be loaded on rail cars individually, John Davison Rockefeller could transport his oil more efficiently and could negotiate better rates with the railroad owners to offer his product at a much lower price than his competitors.
Actually his competitors lobbied the government at the time to regulate the market as to force Rockefeller to pay the same rates they did unsuccessfully.
John – you might find the book The Life and Legend of Jay Gould by Maury Klein an interesting counter-argument, as it re-assesses the villification of ” robber barons” by the man who popularized the term, Matthew Josephson ( an interesting fact about Josephson was that he once stated that ” ( he, Josephson ) was not virtuous enough to be a Communist” ( Josephson backed a Communist candidate for US president in the ’30’s. )
The only thing “progressive” about the leftists is their dementia.
Say what you will about the Robber Barons, they contributed more to the success of the United States than any other faction.