2 HN users recommended this lecture2 months2014–2020score 2
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN people offer it as a free-market counterpoint to the standard robber baron narrative.
Hillsdale historian Burt Folsom lectures at a 2011 seminar on the 'robber barons' of the Gilded Age. He argues that figures like Vanderbilt and Rockefeller were market entrepreneurs rather than monopolists.
“Burton Folsom on the myth of robber barons and the great american entrepreneurs of the 19th century.” (HN, 2020)
Sigh. Ideologues drinking and re-drinking their own bathwater. The thesis of this article is nearly opposite of the truth. Capitalism -- the kind we have evolved (call it socio-crony-capitalism) -- has badly wounded free markets. Here's at least a bit of an antidote: [this video]
Recently I have really enjoyed: * Joseph Stiglitz on the introduction of informational mechanisms in Economics [1] * Burton Folsom on the myth of robber barons and the great american entrepreneurs of the 19th century. [1] [link] [2] [this video]
Folsom on robber barons myth and 19th century entrepreneurs.
You might get something out of this article: [link] If " Capitalism in America means as close to monopolization and price gouging as possible. " is your definition of capitalism, then you're off. (And I think that may be why you're being disagreed/downvoted on.) If you think that monopolization and price gouging is an emergent property of capitalism in America-- well, then, I wanna see some citations. My (radical, libertarian) view that a free market would only leads to monopolies when they're _market monopolies_-- meaning they've already providing the best service, and will continue to do so. The really damaging monopolies only ever come from government-granted powers. [this video]
Supports view that damaging monopolies come from government power.
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