The Rise of Ruthless Capitalists during the Gilded Age

5min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

This chapter explores the dominance of ruthless capitalists like Cornelius Vanderbilt and Andrew Carnegie during the Gilded Age, highlighting their cutthroat tactics and the emergence of the term 'robber barons'. It also delves into the extreme inequality and opulent consumption by the rich, contrasting the mainstream narrative with the reality of historical forces shaping America's history.

An age of invention and mass production, propelled by a new mechanism – the corporate research lab – leads to a surge in material wealth like the world has never seen. How does a new nation, the United States, overtake its parent as the leader of the surging capitalist order? And what does it all mean in the lives of ordinary people?

By John Biewen, with co-host Ellen McGirt. Interviews with Woody Holton, Robin Alario, Edward Baptist, and Brad DeLong. Story editor: Loretta Williams. Music by Michelle Osis, Lilli Haydn, Chris Westlake, Alex Symcox, and Goodnight, Lucas. Music consulting by Joe Augustine of Narrative Music. "Capitalism” is a production of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, in partnership with Imperative 21.