From 65438 to 2009, after the large-scale development of oil in the United States in the late 1950s, Rockefeller established a huge standard oil company, which controlled most of the oil markets in the United States and the world. Although Standard Oil Company was forced to dissolve under the attack of American anti-monopoly law, the model established by the company laid the foundation for the operation model of major international oil companies in the future, and left three members for the later famous "Petroleum Seven Sisters".
Rockefeller entered the oil industry when the American oil industry was facing a serious crisis. Since the discovery of oil by 1859, the United States has set off a wave of searching for and developing oil. By 1862, the oil production in western Pennsylvania increased from 450,000 barrels in 1860 to 3 million barrels. Due to the sharp increase in production, American oil prices have been falling. 186 1 year, the oil price was $ 10 per barrel, which fell to $0.50 per barrel in June of the same year and even to $ 10 cent per barrel at the end of the year. Although the oil price began to rise again in 1862, it rose to $7.25/barrel in September of 1863. However, in the late 1960s, the price of oil in the United States dropped sharply. In the early 1970s, the price of oil dropped to $0.48 a barrel, which was 3 cents cheaper than the drinking water in the oil region at that time.
1860 On the eve of the American Civil War, Rockefeller traveled from Cleveland to Tetsville to personally investigate whether the oil there could bring him wealth. 1863, he and Clark jointly built a small oil refinery. Later, Rockefeller saw the bright future of this industry and decided to own the enterprise alone, so he held an auction with Clark. Thus, Rockefeller realized his monopoly desire. 1In the 1960s and 1970s, the American oil industry was in the Great Depression. In response to the crisis,1August, 870, on the basis of the original company, Rockefeller, Henry F. Leger and other five people set up Standard Oil Company, with the purpose of convincing consumers that its oil products are "standard oil products". At that time, Standard Oil Company controlled110 in the American oil refining industry, in which Rockefeller owned14. Rockefeller once said, "One day, all the oil refining and barrel making businesses will be owned by Standard Oil Company."
After the establishment of Standard Oil Company, Rockefeller took advantage of the depression of railway transportation at that time, forcing the railway company not only to give discounts, but also to give Standard Oil Company a certain "refund" per barrel, so as to gain greater advantages in the competition with other companies. In addition, many competitors were crushed and a large number of refineries were merged at reduced prices. Rockefeller swallowed up 22 of 26 competitors in more than a month, and then acquired refineries in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. 1875 after the completion of the Baltimore acquisition war, Rockefeller became the sole owner of the American refining industry and monopolized the global kerosene market. By 1879, it has controlled 90% of the oil refining industry in the United States, and controlled the oil pipeline network, purchase and sale system and oil transportation in leading oil-producing areas. 1882, Rockefeller and others signed the Standard Oil Trust Agreement, and Standard Oil Company completely controlled 14 companies and partially controlled 2 1 companies. By the mid-1980s of 19, the three refineries of Standard Oil Company had produced more than 1/4 of the world kerosene supply, controlling 80% of the domestic petroleum product market in the United States.
Since 1885, the strategy of Standard Oil Company has undergone fundamental changes, and it has begun to set foot in oil exploitation activities. 1885, Lima-Indiana oilfield was put into development. Rockefeller seized this opportunity and bought a lot of oil production rights. By 189 1, its crude oil has accounted for 1/3 of the total crude oil production in the United States. Since then, Rockefeller has established an international oil company integrating crude oil production, refining and sales. By 19 1 1, Standard Oil Company has developed into a huge and intertwined oil empire. At that time, Standard Oil Company undertook more than four-fifths of oil production in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. It refines 3/4 of American crude oil; It owns half of American oil tankers; Sales of kerosene account for more than 4/5 of the domestic market and 4/5 of the export volume; Provide 910 lubricating oil for American railways, and a series of petroleum by-products, including 700 different types of 300 million candles. It even has its own "navy"-78 steamboats and 19 sailboats.
Just as Standard Oil Company entered its peak, great changes have taken place in the international and domestic environment, which seriously impacted its monopoly position in the oil industry. First of all, there are several major oil production and trading companies in the world, the most famous of which are Rothschild, Nobel Brothers, Shell and Royal Dutch. They seized the share of Standard Oil Company in the international oil market. By the end of 1990s, Standard Oil Company had monopolized the international oil market. At home, after 190 1 year, a large number of oil companies appeared in the United States under the impetus of the new upsurge of oil development. The position of Standard Oil Company in the United States has been greatly impacted, and its refining capacity has dropped from 90% of 1880 in the United States to 60% ~ 65% of191. With the formation and development of monopoly capital, the internal contradictions of American monopoly capital groups have also risen, and Rockefeller Group has been repeatedly hit by other groups. In the process of establishing the oil empire, Rockefeller ignored money and made too many enemies, which offended the public. American society keeps issuing voices to expose and condemn the oil empire.
In order to cope with the constant pressure and make the company have a solid legal foundation, Rockefeller found a solution to the problem in New Jersey. The state amended the law to allow the establishment of holding companies. In this way, the owner of Standard Oil Interest Group established Standard Oil Company of New Jersey as the holding company of all businesses of 1899. In order to collect the necessary materials to deal with the legal war at that time, Standard Oil Company also hired excellent lawyers to defend it at a high price. It also tries to influence the political process and make timely donations for political activities in a clever way.
1906, the Roosevelt administration filed a lawsuit against Standard Oil Company in St. Louis Circuit Court, accusing the company of conspiring to violate Sherman's antitrust law. 1909, the federal court decided to dissolve the standard oil company in favor of the government. Although Standard Oil Company kept appealing, in the end, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States read out the judgment on the Trust of Standard Oil Company in March 19 1 1, and decided that the Trust of Standard Oil Company would be dissolved immediately.
Subsequently, Standard Oil Company was divided into several independent entities, the largest of which was the original holding company-Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, which had almost half of the net output value and later became Exxon Oil Company. Other companies include Mobil, Chevron, Amoco, Continental Oil, Aco, etc. Rockefeller's Oil Empire State Building collapsed.