For some observers, industrialists like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and Cornelius Vanderbilt (among others) should be seen as “Captains of Industry” who built massive industrial empires through a combination of business acumen and hard work. For other observers, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt (among others) were nothing more than “Robber Barons” who made their fortunes through the manipulation of markets, unethical business practices, collusion, and luck. Which interpretation of the industrialists do you find more credible and why?
