USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -"Robber baron” is a term used frequently in the 19th century during America’s Gilded Age to describe successful industrialists whose business practices were often considered ruthless or unethical. Included in the list of so-called robber barons are Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller .

Detailed explanation-2: -The term robber baron derives from the Raubritter (robber knights), the medieval German lords who charged nominally illegal tolls (unauthorized by the Holy Roman Emperor) on the primitive roads crossing their lands or larger tolls along the Rhine river.

Detailed explanation-3: -robber baron, pejorative term for one of the powerful 19th-century American industrialists and financiers who made fortunes by monopolizing huge industries through the formation of trusts, engaging in unethical business practices, exploiting workers, and paying little heed to their customers or competition.

Detailed explanation-4: -The term “robber baron” was first used in the Middle Ages to describe businessmen who used unethical methods to monopolize industry and were known to exploit workers. It was later applied to many of the American industrial tycoons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Detailed explanation-5: -They were called robber barons because the business leaders built their fortunes by stealing from the public. They drained the country of its natural resources and persuaded public officials to interpret laws in their favor.