The Corporate Reconstruction of American Capitalism, 1890–1916
The Market, the Law, and Politics

AUTHOR: Martin J. Sklar



At the turn of the twentieth century American politics underwent a profound change, as both regulatory minimalism and statist command were rejected in favor of positive government engaged in both regulatory and distributive roles. Through a fresh examination of the judicial, legislative, and political aspects of the antitrust debates in the years from 1890-1916, Martin Sklar shows that the arguments did not arise simply because of competition versus combination, but because of the larger question of the proper relations between government and the market and between state and society.

Table of Contents

Preface
List of abbreviations used in the footnotes
1. Introduction: corporate capitalism and corporate liberalism
Part I. The Market and the Law:
2. Metamorphosis in property and thought
3. The corporate reconstruction and the antitrust law
Part II. Politics:
4. The politics of antitrust
5. Two progressive presidents
6. Woodrow Wilson and the corporate-liberal ascendancy
7. Conclusion: fathers and prophets
Bibliography
Index.