Part 3/8:
As the 19th century drew to a close, the advent of the Industrial Revolution catalyzed the emergence of massive corporate trusts. Industrial giants controlled vast segments of the market—from oil to meatpacking and steel—by merging smaller enterprises or outcompeting less efficient rivals. This unprecedented consolidation fostered environments susceptible to price fixing, labor control, unfair competition, and lobbying, where corporate giants exercised disproportionate influence to shape regulation in their favor.