r Bernard A. Weisberger states in his article “Election in Silver and Gold” that this election in 1896 was “one of the hardest-fought campaigns ever” (Weisberger, 1) because the campaign took place during and after an economic depression, also known as the Panic of 1893. But also, because the campaigns or included business, economic, wages, employers and employees. The business men Carnegie, Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan used money and corruption and financed a lot so McKinley could win the election. This election was really very important for these rich men because the democrats and its nominee Bryan were completely against these big companies and businesses. They wanted to stop them what meant an end for all monopolies. Republican McKinley was on the side of the businesses. At the very beginning everybody thought that Bryan would win for sure. But the republican’s campaign changed everything. Since most of the employees were working for the big companies of Rockefeller and his fellow colleagues, they said that if Bryan wins the election and becomes president, all the employees do not have to come to work anymore the next day. The reason was easy: If Bryan closes all the companies there will be no jobs anymore. So as an employee and voter they got to think about their families and would rather vote for Republican McKinley to keep their jobs and incomes. This actually worked out and McKinley became the 25th President of the United States.

Consequently, after the successful election of William McKinley, monopolies were still around, because the captains of industry had four more years to develop their businesses. William McKinley followed the “Laissez-Faire” Theory, which is an economic system where the transactions between private parties are not interrupted by the government in any things like regulations, privileges, and tariffs. “People believed that government interference with business could have no beneficial effects.” (The Men who built America). The only reason why Rockefeller, Carnegie etc., wanted McKinley as the president of the United States was because he will prevent the intervention of the government into the businesses. Without the intervention the business leaders can continue take control all over the economics and their employee’s lives, because there were no regulations.

Monopolies have different kinds of influences that is also why monopolies have two major names: “The Captains of Industry” and “The Robber Barons”. On the one hand the monopolies in the Gilded Age had a really positive effect on the economics of the United States of America, because they made America to a very economically strong nation. In the Documentary Drama “The Men who built America” by Patrick Reams and Ruán Magan it says, how the “