The rise of the corporation is one of the seminal events in American history. The institution is a subject of immense interest, with almost anything having to do with, say, the Big Three auto companies, all multinational corporations, front-page news. But it is also a subject of abject ignorance. Few can say who owns them, and fewer detail the historical reasons why they have the structure they have.

History 343 will familiarize you with the corporation’s origins in the sole proprietorship firm, and chartered company forms of the 17th and 18th centuries and follow it through the rise of manufacturing in the 19th century to challenges to corporate dominance and perhaps signs of collapse of that dominance towards the end of the 20th century. Major themes highlighted include evolving entrepreneurship, emergent capitalism, changes in technology, marketing, and distribution, and consumer responsiveness.

Class Format:

Lecture