Free Custom «Was John D. Rockefeller a ‘Robber Baron’?» Essay Paper

The oil industry has always been a force to reckon. Many people and tycoons invest in it in order to gain massive wealth within a short stint of time. Rockefeller was one of these many people who was out to enjoy the fruits of investing in the oil industry. However, his investment was questioned by many basing on the methods that he embraced in the whole deals. John D. Rockefeller may be considered as a robber baron due to his tactics towards his competitors in the oil industry (Matthew, 1962). He never gave them a chance to compete freely and ensured that they fell out of market. On the other hand, his philanthropy could make one talk positive about him and in the end consider him as one who was out to help people. All in all, his weird tactics prove that he was a robber baron and was out to benefit his selfish interests.

According to Mathew, Rockefeller was worth being considered as an unconscionable person and manipulator who was always employing a deception policy, one that touches on bribery, and also conspiracy in a bid to ensure that his tactics ensured that he made it in life. His tactics of getting rich were deemed illegal as he was out to gain momentum to the top and also the many drive other petroleum and also oil companies that existed at that time out of business (Matthew, 1962). He went on to cheat his boys and other workers in the name of “making them sharp.” This was a way of using the brains of young men and abusing their ideas as he was out to exploit what they stood for. In the long run, he stood to benefit more from the whole issue than what the boys did. He knew that oil was the main thing at that moment and he employed any crooked ways to ensure that his competitors were out of market (Matthew, 1962). He did not care what ordeal befell the latter as long as he got rich. His image in the public could not be figured out as extremely few people could decipher the kind of person he was. He hid from people and loved his life being a mystery. Only few could actually understand what he stood for. His desire for secret deals in the oil shipping industry raised eyebrows as some people knew that he carried out some fishy deals. He never wanted anyone to cross his path as the latter would face his wrath. All the other refineries had no place in his dominated market and washed people’s faces with the idea of philanthropist. He knew he had gained more from the whole issue and market and giving to the society would not even deduct his wealth. He was a robber baron, in all extents and his side shows proved it (Matthew, 1962).

 

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On the other hand, Ron considers Rockefeller as not being a Robber Baron but a person who used his intelligence to get what he deserved. He considers him as a hardworking person and one who only embraced his intelligence to gain what he worked for. Rockefeller was a person who knew how to invest wisely and earned accordingly. People should not look at his side of being a prosperous tycoon and judge him as a person who was out to make himself rich at the expense of others. He even went ahead to donate money to universities, just to show how charitable he was. Basing on the definition of a robber baron, Rockefeller never used all his gained benefits as the formers are known to do. They never think of the future and only consider the present. He made savings and he had enough to look up to in the future (Ron, 1998). He also went on to bring about foundations such as the Rockefeller Institute that is known Medical Research. This represented his philanthropically related act and desire to help other people. He had a generous heart and one that ensured that every person was comfortable. Ron finally states that making a lot of money does not qualify one as being a robber baron. It takes more to that than just the amount of money that one owns. It means considering one’s expenditure and the kind of use one dedicates his or her money to. Rockefeller helped many people, and his savings still do assist and aid many needy people (Ron, 1998).

All in all, one may John D. Rockefeller as a robber baron due to his tactics towards his competitors in the oil industry. He ensured that he cheated his workers in order to maximally utilize their ideas. He also decide to come up with policies that could not allow anyone succeed in the oil industry business freely. He never gave them a chance to compete freely and ensured that they fell out of market. On the other hand, his philanthropy could make one talk positive about him and in the end consider him as one who was out to help people. All in all, his weird tactics prove that he was a robber baron and was out to benefit his selfish interests. I second the idea that he was a robber baron and never had peoples’ interests at heart.