Big Business Flashcards
(34 cards)
how did Hayes show that he supported big business in 1877?
- sent military in to the rail strike
- digit because big businesses voted for republicans
how was avalibility of the capital important?
- entrepreneurs need money to develop businesses
- profits from civil war encourage stock markets
what was the return of the stock exchange in 1865?
6 billion
2nd largest by 1890
how did businessmen have complete freedom during the guided age?
- no tax on profits
- no restrictions on working hours
- few legislations passed to restrict big business
how did the federal governments policies of the guilder age help business expansion?
make foreign goods more expensive
- tariffs high as 50%
what’d no trade unions mean during the gilded age?
- bosses free to manage work force
- had support of authorities who sent in troops to help
what were corporations and trusts?
legal methods of avioding state laws
- to monopolise markets (caused by laissez faire)
how did carnegie dominate the US steel industry?
- cheap steel with bessemer converter
- rapid expansion caused by vertical integration
- keep prices low and invest in plants and equipment
- refused unions in factories
how did vanderbilt make his fortune?
invested in rail boom of 1860’s
- used standard track gage
- 100 million when he died in 1877 (richest in america)
how did railroads cause economic expansion?
allowed people to start businesses
- otherwise wouldn’t have been enough demand
- shipment to greater areas
what was the 1873 depression caused by?
- poor banking like jay cooke investing deposits badly (northern pacific rail)
- caused other companies and banks to collapse
- stock exchange close for 20 days
- factories close - 1 million unemployed
what was the boss system in new cities?
- mayors often courrupt
- sell rights to transport, buildings etc.. to highest bidder
what happened when small farmers tried to compete with big business?
- failed to compete
- south soon too dependant on single cash crops like cotton
how were carnegie and rockefeller philanthropists?
- rockefeller donate 550 million to medicine, education and blacks
how much did carnegie sell his empire to JP Morgan for in 1890?
480 million
how did carnegie monopolise steel production?
vertical intergraton (controlled all processes of production to lower costs and increase profits)
when did rockefeller do in 1862?
- first oil refinery
what did rockefeller do in 1870?
standard oil (said to resume industry)
what did rockefeller do in the 1880’s?
control 80% of US steel production
what was rockefeller in 1913?
worlds first billionaire
what was rockefeller fortune in 1899?
200 million
what were good things about individuals controlling the market?
- no disputes
- no drastic price change
- more philanthropy
- larger profits
- lots of jobs
- security of industry
what are bad things about individuals controlling the market?
- no competition/ innovation
- biased decisions
- exploit workers
- small businesses destroyed
when was the first national rail strike?
1877