Social bandits, first designated as such in 1959 by social historian Eric Hobsbawm, have a long and colorful history in both folk traditions and real world events. The historical archetype of the social bandit is one of many contradictions: he calls into question the nature of the authoritative bodies by defying them, the justness of laws by breaking them, and the definition of right and wrong in a given cultural context by committing seemingly immoral acts for the benefit of the community at large. Additionally, the prototypical Hobsbawmian figure must meet a stringent list of qualifications to be thus termed: the bandit must participate in thievery or other illegal acts which are circumstantially seen as other than common criminality by …show more content…
Still, both folkloric and historical figures generally accepted as social bandits do exist; a few such as Ned Kelly, Salvatore Giuliano, and of course the historically elusive Robin Hood have gained prominence to some extent despite none fitting perfectly all of Hobsbawm's criteria, suggesting that strict adherence to Hobsbawm's theory is not as important for identifying the social bandit as are an ideological fit to the concept of social banditry and the perception of his role and purpose by public or authority figures. Rather than limiting the scope of social banditry to the strict letter of Hobsbawm's law, it is therefore more helpful to apply the spirit of it to social figures or movements and determine if their functions and ideologies fit within the broader sphere rather than attempting to impose artificial parameters which are too narrow to be of much real-world …show more content…
Hobsbawm first explores his burgeoning theory in Primitive Rebels of 1959, and refines it in Bandits of 1969 and subsequent editions. Hobsbawm defines social banditry as "endemic peasant protest against oppression and poverty: a cry for vengeance on the rich and the oppressors, a vague dream of some curb upon them, a righting of individual wrongs. Its ambitions are modest: a traditional world in which men are justly dealt with, not a new and perfect world." Social protest and rejection of the State or other governing body's laws and demands are pivotal to the theory. Further, a social bandit's crimes are not perceived as actually criminal by his community but are instead deemed acts of inspiration or even salvation for those whom they benefit: "A man becomes a bandit because he does something which is not regarded as criminal by his local conventions, but is so regarded by the State of the local rulers." As a result of these heroic actions the poor of the "population hardly ever helps the authorities to catch the 'peasants' bandit,' but on the contrary protects him . . . [the peasants] regard him as their champion, idealize him, and turn him into a myth." This element of the theory is key, of course, because the protection of the community is dependent upon the approval of the
Throughout American industrialization, large industries were run by some of the richest men in history. These men got the nickname “robber barons” due to their creation of large monopolies by making questionable business and government activities, and by taking advantage of their workers to succeed. But in The Myth of the Robber Barons by Burton W. Folsom, he argues against these claims, and he takes a deeper look into some of America’s richest and most successful men. By specifically looking at Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, James J. Hill, the Scranton family and many more, Folsom believed that these so-called robber barons were actually entrepreneurs with a drive to succeed, leading to an improvement in American lives.
In a book published in 1991 by Burt Folsom, The Myth of the Robber Barons is essentially a book about two theories competing against one another, which is the political versus the market entrepreneurs. The book adamantly persuades the reader into believing market entrepreneurship has provided Americans with greater results versus political entrepreneurs featuring from real life scenarios to back up Mr. Folsom claims. He pointed out several market entrepreneurs in his book such as J.D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, James Hill and Charles Schwab as ones who helped changed the economic climate for Americans by providing superior and lower-cost products and/or services than its competitors. Mr. Folsom continued to shine light on several political
Robber barons, famously known for their ruthless means of acquiring wealth back in the late nineteenth century. They were awful. They were complete menaces to society and only ever created wealth for themselves. Or, at least that 's what is commonly taught in high school American history classes, but author Burton Folsom Jr. offers an unique alternative perspective in his book, The Myth of the Robber Barons. He provides a closer look at the results achieved by these infamous robber barons to give insight into what actually happened in the wake of these entrepreneurs’ conducted business. Folsom uses seven chapters on separate industries ran by robber barons to show, at least from an overall economic view, The United States experienced a gross net benefit by the existence of robber barons.
What is a robber baron? Webster’s New Dictionary defines it as an American capitalist of the late 19th century who became wealthy through exploitation (As of natural resources, governmental influence, or low wage scales) or a person who satisfies himself by depriving another. In America we had a lot of these kind of people. For this report I am going to tell you about the ones that I found most interesting to me. I would first like to tell you about Cornelius Vanderbilt.
The Gilded Age was an era in American history characterized by prosperity and idustrial growth. The Three decades following the Civil War are referred to as "The Gilded Age," in part because of the 1873 satirical novel by Mark Twain entitled The Gilded Age. During the Gilded Age, America saw a growth in industry that greatly benefitted the nation. One of the biggest industrial advances was the construction of the First Trans- continental railroad. Although the idea of the Transcontinental Railroad had existed since the United States purchased "A chunk of territory bordering on the southwestern United States"(United States History Book) from Mexico in 1853, but production didn't officially begin until 1864. The railroad was built by two different railroad companies, the Western Pacific Railroad company and the Central Pacific Railroad company, These companies started building at different points, the Western Pacific
The Myth of Robber Barons discusses some of the major entrepreneurs in of the United States from 1850 to 1910. Burton Folsom also discusses these entrepreneur’s key role in their fields and the whole economy of the United States. The entrepreneurs discussed are Commodore Vanderbilt, James J. Hill, The Scranton’s Group, Charles Schwab, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Mellon. We know these men as “Robber Barons,” but Folsom argues that these entrepreneurs succeeded by producing quality product and service at a competitive price. He compares so called “Robber Barons” to the political entrepreneurs who rely heavily on government subsidy and make no improvement.
The Gilded Age was a time in American history when some of the most famous industrialists rose to power. These industrialists made good decisions and bad decisions which reflected them as Captains of Industry or Robber Barons. A Captain of Industry is used to describe someone who contributes positively to society. Robber Barons are businessmen who use unethical or questionable ways to gain power/wealth. Both terms were expressed during this time period by businessmen. The great industrialists of the Gilded Age show traits of being both Captains of Industry and Robber Barons.
Business tycoons were gaining a substantial amount of power in the years following the Civil War. Industry was booming in America. With the invention of railroads, steel and oil were being produced at exceptional rates. Men flocked to these new industries, creating some of the richest men in the United States of America. A robber baron is classified as a person who has gained wealth by corrupt and ruthless means. By this standard history can define a robber baron by evidence of corruption and unjust treatment of workers and general public. The well known Industrialists at the end of the nineteenth century can be described as robber barons due to their unscrupulous business tactics and values.
The Gilded Age, from 1877 to 1900, was a period in history that showed the vast changes in the population and economy. However, underneath the surface of the seemingly improved society, many people were victims of corruption and unstable living conditions. The wealthy industrialists of the 19th century were rightfully named robber barons due to their low wages, unsafe working conditions, and the treatment of children in the work force.
"Looter Barons." What Is a White Collar Crime? Monetarily inspired crimesthat are regularly peaceful and particularly roused by expanding ones ownpersonal fiscal pick up. ("White Collar and Organized Crime by Craig Freeman on Prezi," n.d.)
7) In criminological theories, we saw how police activity is largely geared towards minor visible crimes committed by individuals from the lower stratums of society as oppose to “white collar crimes” committed by those of higher stratums (Dubé, CRM 3701, 2011). Abolitionists argue that by severely punishing some of the poor in order to deter society from committing crimes; we are only further contributing to the inequalities in today’s society.
Various immigrants migrated to the United States. Many struggled to find jobs once in America. Why? Because whether they be Catholic or immigrants they suffered racism from whites. As a result, they couldn’t acquire any jobs to sustain their families. This led them to get involved in illegal crimes (organized crime). Many of these immigrants has a social philosophy that contributed to the rise of organized crime. This paper will analyze the social philosophy of immigrants and how it contributed to organized crime.
The story by Abani is set in an African background. It may be unfair to render the people as backward automatically, but their decision to act arbitrarily and against the wishes of the elders speaks of weakness regarding civility. Like the villagers in Jackson’s story, the bloodthirsty mob carries out an illogical and crude act with no regard for the life of the man they perceive to be a thief in the hope that the children will learn a valuable lesson.
White-collar crimes are just as prevalent today as ordinary street crimes. Studies show that criminal acts committed by white-collar criminals continue to increase due to unforeseen opportunities presented in the corporate world, but these crimes are often overlooked or minimally publicized in reference to criminal acts on the street. Many street crimes are viewed as unnecessary, horrendous crimes because they are committed by lower class citizens, whereas white collar crimes are illegal acts committed by seemingly respectable people whose occupational roles are considered successful and often admired by many (Piquero, 2014). These views often allow white collar crimes to “slip through the cracks” and carry lesser charges or punishment.
The article of Barbara Hanawalt placed an emphasis on the traditions of banditry as an