The Anti-monopoly Movement In The U.S.(1865-1890)

In the period of 1865-1890, the United States had ended the civil war and the whole nation was in a baptism of the war. The social order need to be stabled and economic need to be rebuilt and the trauma of war need to be treated. Civil war made the American people in the pain, but it also swinger the obstacles to the development of capitalism. In the post-war 50 years, the expansion of industrialization of the United States is rapid. From the end of the civil war to the end of the 19th century, the capital in the manufacturing sector of the United States added from 1 billion dollars to almost 10 billion dollars. Electricity, Iron and steel industry, petrochemical, and other new sectors rose, and increasingly became the main industrial sectors in the economy. The number of industrial workers added from 100 million to over 500 million, the annual industrial output added from less than 2 billion dollars to 13 billion dollars. To 1890, the industrial output was more than agricultural output value, marking industry in the national economy had accessed a dominant position. The United States also changed into an industrial country from a village-based agricultural country.The industrialization strengthened the economic of the United States greatly and made the United States gradually achieve the dominant position in global. At the same time, the monopoly stepped its stage. From Poole to the trust, the monopoly used different forms of organizations , but its nature is always: use all means to reap the greatest profit. Monopolistic organizations and entrepreneurs reaped the profits, but the middle and lower class people's interests was despite. When the labor prepared to fight for eight-hour work system, raising wages, and improving the working environment, they found that they had to face the enterprises which already have grown into economic and political giant through mergers and they had no chance of winning. When farmers cheered for Homestead Act, they found that all the land had been fall into the railway company and the speculators. At the same time they had to accept the exploitation of monopolies from financial sector, agricultural machinery and other areas.The businessmen found that they have only two alternatives——to surrender or bankruptcy——if they are not nable to establish itself as smart and ruthless as the Rockefeller.The traditional upper class of American society which based status and descent feel confused and difficult to adapt to. They contempted to entrepreneurs, but they found it was an era which the entrepreneurs would win the victory. They hate monopolies, but they found that with their criticism, more and more monopolies were out. Government and Congress were at lost as well. Monopolistic organizations made the corruption, corruption and bribery rampant. The states and the federal government are always faced with the enormous pressure of public opinion. At the same time, the right of economic management mixed, too. Congress was not at peace, too. The west and south Members of Parliament thought that the expansion of monopolies means that the northeastern states strengthen their power and they suspected the monopolies.This background made the anti-monopoly campaign of the whole country inevitable. The anti-monopoly campaign is a multi-layered campaign in many fields. The so-called multi-level, refers to the state level and federal level. The multi-field means that the anti-monopoly campaign involves public opinion, social movements, judicial and legislative spheres. These two levels and three areas influence each other and promote each other, and together constitute the anti-monopoly campaign at the end of 19th century in the United States.During this period, the United States had a number of distinguished writers and commentators. They thought a lot about the issue of monopoly and worried about the current situation and to create a series of anti-monopoly works. Charles Adams, Henry Adams, Edward, Bellamy all were the representatives. They made monopolistic organizations and their evil be the focus of public opinion and let the people reflect surrounding the new social problems. These writers concerns to different problems, but they undoubtedly had a unified goal——advocated fairness and boycott monopoly. However, the monopoly just emerged in this period, so the understandings about the problem are not deep enough. These writers criticized the monopoly, but they brought either a naive utopian solutions like or helpless.At the same time, the American people have actively participated in social movements opposed to the monopoly. During this period there were a lot of anti-monopoly social movements such as Grange movement, Greenback campaign, Knights of Labor, the populist. The anti-monopoly social movements of United States during this period had their own characteristics. Generally speaking, this time the purposes of the social movements were various, including the eight-hour work system, to improve the working environment, to opposed to deflation, to restrict on freight, and so on. Boycott monopoly was only one of the purposes that these social movements wanted to achieve. Therefore, the study of the antitrust social movements during the period must be conclude the study of all the features of social movements during this period. Take the anti-monopoly movement off from the whole society campaign is not appropriate.The finish time of American industrial revolution was late and industrial proletariat had just formed and fixed. Thinking, habits and the forms of movements of the Workshop Handicraft Industry period were maintained. The Union of all trades were fragmentation and excluded women, immigrants and black workers except the Knights of Labor. All of this made the Unions weak when they fight against banks, railways and other monopolistic organizations. The peasant movement also faced the same problems. Some peasant fight for the rail freight, some farmers wanted to limit the freight and others struggle for the barn rights…Nevertheless, the anti-monopoly campaign during this period in United States showed that the determination and power of lower class people against monopoly which had produced a certain effect to the state and federal governments legislative activities.United States inherited common law tradition of Britain which weight the case and neglect legislation. The court of United States followed the business case of restraint of trade to control monopolistic practices in the period that the anti-monopoly legislation was absent. These cases laid a good foundation for the subsequent anti-monopoly legislation later. Under pressure of the public opinion and social movements, a lot of states made anti-monopoly laws and regulations. However, the state legislative activities had obvious limitations. First, monopolistic organizations had been extended to the whole country and beyond the reach of the states. Second, monopolistic organizations often made all the means to control the state legislature and the state government. In fact, some large enterprises are more powerful than the state government which tried to control them. Reality requires Congress to pass legislation and control monopolistic behavior in the whole federal. John Sherman Introduce an antitrust bill at 1888. Despite the pressure of large anti-trust movements, Sherman Act still faced many obstacles. Centered on how to designate the limits of monopoly and competition, How to measure the monopolistic impact on the consumer level, as well as how to punish violations and other issues, the House and the Senate engaged in a fierce controversy. On November 4, 1889, after several times amendment by Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Justice, Sherman Antitrust Act was once again submitted to the Senate. On April 8, 1890, the act had 52 to 1 votes to pass. On July 2, 1890, signed by President Harrison, the bill came into effect. The statutory called An Act to Protect Trade and Commerce against Unlawful Restraints and Monoplies, was referred to as the Sherman Antitrust Act or Sherman Act. The bill was the anti-monopoly fundamental constitutional in the United States and also the greatest anti-monopoly results during the period of 1865-1890.