Reviewed by Martha K. Farmer Augusta College

Big Business in America was written as a part of a series called “Primary Sources in American History” which, according to the series editor, Grady McWhiney, “provides the documents necessary to explore the past through the eyes of those who lived it.” A wide range of topics is covered by the series. The expected use of Big Business in America was the college classroom, and as such pre¬sents the chronological development of big business,.

This book is divided into three sections, each of which presents a major stage in the development of huge business organizations. In the introduction, Pusateri presents what he calls “the dilemma of abundance.” This dilemma is not resolved and the reader is left to ponder the compatibility of “classic American values” with “big business.” The author does not take a position, but clearly presents the historical developments surrounding various attempts to pro¬vide solutions. The author’s desire to provide students with an “ap¬preciation of the complexity of the challenge of modern large-scale business enterprise coexisting with the time-honored values and ideals born of an earlier, less troublesome America” is definitely achieved. His method of presentation provides history without bias.

Part I, “The Emergence of a Dilemma” consists of a case study of Standard Oil. The reader is exposed to the details of operations, court challenges, and investigations. It is obvious that a dilemma does exist when these situations are considered.

In Part II, the Dilemma is presented as a political issue. The Sherman Antitrust Act is the foundation for a political policy. The entire act is quoted along with reports of subsequent investigative agencies. By reading the complete document, one develops an appreciation for the complexity of the problems embodied in the Dilemma and the tentativeness of apparent solutions. The enforce¬ment policies of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, William Harding, and Franklin Roosevelt are presented. The essence of all enforcement philosophy is em¬bodied in Franklin Roosevelt’s actions. In the early years of his ad¬ministration, the emphasis was on national planning with little hindrance to cooperation between firms. In 1930, Roosevelt ap¬pointed Thurman Arnold to head the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department. Arnold doubled the size of that Division within a year. In 1942, big business won again as Roosevelt agreed to permit the postponement of antitrust prosecutions, at the discretion of the Secretary of War.

The final section of this book presents the historical development of “The Military-Industrial Complex,” “The Social Responsibility of Business,” and “Multinationalism.” Throughout the book, case studies of large corporations provide interesting insight into the problems of big business. Just as important are the hearings and committee reports which present the evils of bigness. Pusateri has done an excellent job of maintaining a balance of information so that this book is neither for nor against big business. It is what it is intended to be: a history book which traces the development of big business and presents this development through the eyes of those who lived it.