What were the requirements and benifits from being a robber baron in the 1800's?
2 answers
The requirements were to be rich and able and willing to buy political influence and corrupt law enforcement get away with murder and intimidation to take land from farmers for ranching, mining or water rights. The benefit was that fortunes were made by determining or having advance knowledge of where railroads would be routed, and cities would be located, so that they could acquire valuable land along the route, and water rights, cheaply.
For a fuller discussion of the subject of robber barons, see
http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/Econ_Articles/Carnegie/DeLong_Moscow_paper2.html
Sometimes the phrase was applied (unfairly) to any "captain of industry", such as Carnegie, Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan who managed to dominate it by virtue of their own hard work and vision.
The phrase "robber baron" apparently originated in Germany.
In South America, a variation of the "robber baron" was the "rubber baron"
http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/Econ_Articles/Carnegie/DeLong_Moscow_paper2.html
Sometimes the phrase was applied (unfairly) to any "captain of industry", such as Carnegie, Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan who managed to dominate it by virtue of their own hard work and vision.
The phrase "robber baron" apparently originated in Germany.
In South America, a variation of the "robber baron" was the "rubber baron"
6 answers