Gilded Age Robber Barons

Two Sides of the Same Coin Although people tend to settle on one definite opinion of the businessmen of the Gilded Age, either thinking of them as robber barons or captains of the industry; in truth, these businessmen fall into a gray area between avaricious and essential to the United States culture.
Of course, the reason why people are so divided in their judgement of these classical businessmen is because, like in any other field, the Gilded Age had its radicals. Due to the three main philosophical beliefs of the age, disparity between the rich and the poor during that time period, and the ever present human nature, the prominent businessmen of the 19th century were actually both “robber barons” and simultaneously “captains of the industry”. During the legendary Gilded Age, many opportunities arose as the economy boomed. These luxurious possibilities led to the over extent of power, and in consequence, to greedy people who have grown accustomed to their enormous success and wished to stay on top no matter the case. Of course, remaining the top dog in a humongous industry requires manipulation and justification. Therefore, numerous rich businessmen in control came up with the philosophy of Social Darwinism, which professed that the wealthy are powerful because they are

While countless people still argue about what category the businessmen would fit into, perhaps the argument could finally come to an end if people realized that this dispute is both old, and unnecessary. Regardless of personal opinion, the businessmen of the Gilded Age, while problematic in acquiring their wealth by today’s standards, also contributed great things to the United States that are still revered today, a whole century