Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were two of the most notable entrepreneurs in United States history during the era of industrialization. Each of them had their own way of keeping their organization at the top and winning. Complete control of every aspect of their business and managing them with incredible authority to control a portion of the American economy is what gave them a huge impact on industrialization in the late 20th century. The similarities and differences between the companies controlled by Carnegie and Rockefeller will be examined as well as the historical significance of each. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Carnegie and Rockefeller have many similarities. They both came from families with little or nothing and later became very successful businessmen. Rockefeller and Carnegie owned large companies that monopolized their personal industries and collapsed all competition. Both were highly controlling of their businesses and believed in the theory of Social Darwinism that only the strong survive. They each wanted to limit competition in order to become rich and successful, and ruled the business world by taking risks and adopting aggressive strategies. They were both very successful, gave back to the community, and left their mark on American society. If they were alive today, they would undoubtedly be two of the richest men in the world. Two of the most famous and successful companies of the Industrial Revolution were the Standard Oil Company and the Carnegie Steel Company. Both managed to eliminate all competition in their respective fields of activity and control almost all of the production capacity for their respective products in the United States. Their founders, Rockefeller of the Standard Oil Company and Carnegie of the Carnegie Steel Company, pursued business practices that differed from each other. Carnegie used a method known as "vertical integration" to control the steel industry. Vertical integration occurred when a company became the owner of a business at different stages of production and distribution within the same industry. Carnegie Steel Co. not only controlled steel mills, but also railroads, mines, and other businesses. Rockefeller used the method of “horizontal integration” to control the oil industry. Horizontal integration was a business combination in which a set of companies that do identical things merge. Rockefeller purchased many refineries in order to expand horizontally. He then moved to vertical integration, but started very differently. Another difference is that Carnegie believed that a man should first acquire wealth and then use that wealth to improve his general well-being. He founded numerous schools and created philanthropic foundations. Unlike Carnegie, Rockefeller began to relent as soon as antitrust efforts were made against his oil company. He was also a philanthropist and he just had a slightly different reason for doing it. Another difference is how the two handled competition. Because of the cheap prices for its steel, Carnegie forced the purchase of other Pennsylvania mills. Other competitors could not make a profit selling their steel so cheaply, so Carnegie was able to buy out their factories. Likewise, Rockefeller was known for hiring..