Discuss the development of the antitrust legislation in the United States between 1865-1940.To what extent was it successful in curbing the excesses of big business.

To the people of the United States, a nation who’s governmental policies, it is generally assumed favour competition, the great merger movement came as an incredible shock. With the dangers of monopolies staring them in the face, Americans watched the merger movement unfold, bringing with it a change from what was once a nation of freely competing individually owned enterprises into a nation dominated by a small number of giant corporations . Public response to the consolidations inevitable rising of prices and securing of their monopoly positions by extracting rebates from the railroads and restricting competitor’s access to raw materials led to the launching of investigations throughout government. The result of which is an extensive but disorganized body of antitrust legislation on the federal statute books. Theodore Roosevelt sensed the political value of prompt federal action and revived the Sherman antitrust act in 1904 with the prosecution of the northern securities holding ...