idually measured" (101). Employees who contributed to the bottom line advanced, all others were weeded out. Operations were integrated horizontally and vertically to take advantage of economies of scale. Carnegie's philosophy was "cut the prices, scoop the market, run the mills full . . . watch the costs and the profits will take care of themselves" (Livesay 101).
Carnegie was a ruthless competitor driving costs down to the point where none of his rivals could match his firms' prices. He was a Social Darwinist, who believed that his own success confirmed that only the fittest (the strongest) survive. Some of his rivals employed even less ethical practices than he during the Age of the Robber Barons, but Livesay says "at one time or another he lied, concealed information and misrepresented facts" (71). His ability to compete in this manner was facilitated by a cultural ethos which glorified business success.
...