List of some REAL monopolies

[Skm1091]

I know government is a monopoly

I know that many of the so called "robber barons" of the 19th century were actually not robber barons.

So I want to make a list of genuine monopolies/monopolists. (correct me if I am wrong here)

1. The East India Companies

2. Bronkomvention (The German chemical cartel that Herbert Dow took down)

3. The Da Beers diamond cartel (I think it might have lost that monopoly in recent times)

4.Robert Fulton

5.Leland Stanford

6. The American Medical Association

7. Lots of Unions (after FDR turned them into cartels)

any others?

[MrBogosity]

Don't forget local power, cable TV, and telcos. And quite often services like garbage collection, too.

[Skm1091]

Don't forget local power, cable TV, and telcos. And quite often services like garbage collection, too.

Does OPEC count?

[Skm1091]

The Whale Oil Cartels AKA some of Rockefeller competitors.

[MrBogosity]

The Whale Oil Cartels AKA some of Rockefeller competitors.

Reminds me of this little bundle of win: A PETITION From the Manufacturers of Candles, Tapers, Lanterns, sticks, Street Lamps, Snuffers, and Extinguishers, and from Producers of Tallow, Oil, Resin, Alcohol, and Generally of Everything Connected with Lighting.

[Ibrahim90]

the stationer's company.

also most medieval guilds in a given city in Europe or the Near East, the munitionairies in 17th-18th century France, etc.

heck, we have the religious monopoly in Saudi Arabia, where Wahhabism is the only "brand" to be accepted.

they all have one thing in common: they're all government sanctioned.

the list goes on, but it's a good start.

[MrBogosity]

also most medieval guilds in a given city in Europe or the Near East, the munitionairies in 17th-18th century France, etc.

And just as an aside: THAT is the era known as the "guilded age" (i.e., age of the guilds), NOT the US with Rockefeller et al.

[Skm1091]

And just as an aside: THAT is the era known as the "guilded age" (i.e., age of the guilds), NOT the US with Rockefeller et al.

Also remember that standard oils grasp on the market before the the anti trust act was already shrinking. down from 88 percent to 64 percent. So the competition was catching up.

[Ibrahim90]

there are also, now that it donned on me, the original  Royal Monopolies: the Kings in England would grant specific persons complete control over the revenues of a given industry. For example, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Sussex, was granted by Elizabeth I a royal monopoly over the sweet wine trade. her revocation of it was an underlying cause of the former's rebellion against Elizabeth.

[evensgrey]

Also remember that standard oils grasp on the market before the the anti trust act was already shrinking. down from 88 percent to 64 percent. So the competition was catching up.

Well, yes, Rockefeller had realized that people were starting up oil companies for the purpose of being bought out by Standard Oil and stopped acquiring them.  As a result, there were a bunch of oil companies that suddenly needed to actually try and sell some petroleum products, and some of them found a way to make enough money doing it to stay in business.  It may have been this change that resulted in all those other oil companies lobbying government to punish Rockefeller and Standard Oil for turning off their money tap.

Greens are easy to flumox on Standard Oil, too.  If they complain about oil companies, ask them why they would prefer whales, seals, sealions, penguiins, etc. to be extinct, since that's what would have happened had there not been oil companies springing up to sell people kerosene (aka, for some reason unknown to me, coal oil) in place of the animal oils that had previously been the mainstay of lamps.

[MrBogosity]

Greens are easy to flumox on Standard Oil, too.  If they complain about oil companies, ask them why they would prefer whales, seals, sealions, penguiins, etc. to be extinct, since that's what would have happened had there not been oil companies springing up to sell people kerosene (aka, for some reason unknown to me, coal oil) in place of the animal oils that had previously been the mainstay of lamps.

You can ask them why they hate the poor as well, since animal oils were much more expensive than kerosene. It's almost entirely due to Standard Oil that the poor were able to afford heating oil for the first time ever.

[Skm1091]

Well, yes, Rockefeller had realized that people were starting up oil companies for the purpose of being bought out by Standard Oil and stopped acquiring them.  As a result, there were a bunch of oil companies that suddenly needed to actually try and sell some petroleum products, and some of them found a way to make enough money doing it to stay in business.  It may have been this change that resulted in all those other oil companies lobbying government to punish Rockefeller and Standard Oil for turning off their money tap.

Greens are easy to flumox on Standard Oil, too.  If they complain about oil companies, ask them why they would prefer whales, seals, sealions, penguiins, etc. to be extinct, since that's what would have happened had there not been oil companies springing up to sell people kerosene (aka, for some reason unknown to me, coal oil) in place of the animal oils that had previously been the mainstay of lamps.

whale oil was both expensive and messy.

I always wonder why these companies didn't try a Herbert Dow on Rockefeller.

[MrBogosity]

I always wonder why these companies didn't try a Herbert Dow on Rockefeller.

They did. It ultimately culminated in the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

[Skm1091]

They did. It ultimately culminated in the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

Looks like they did got the last part wrong. Dow did not ask congress.

[MrBogosity]

Looks like they did got the last part wrong. Dow did not ask congress.

Oh, I thought you meant, why didn't they do what the Bromkonvention did to Dow?

Okay, so to answer your actual question: that was actually what Standard Oil did to them!