John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) is often seen as the architect of a global blueprint for industrial dominance and extreme wealth concentration. As the founder of Standard Oil, he built what became the first truly dominant monopoly, at one point controlling more than 90% of the U.S. oil industry.

Through strategies like holding companies and trusts, he consolidated vast portions of the market while systematically eliminating competition—methods that went on to influence how modern multinational corporations centralize power.

Rockefeller didn’t just accumulate immense wealth; he helped shape the very framework of corporate capitalism. That legacy has made him a central figure in ongoing criticism of concentrated economic power, as governments around the world continue to grapple with regulating the kinds of systems he helped pioneer. But just wait until you learn that oil is an unlimited resource.