Antitrust in America, From Standard Oil to Bork (Classic): Planet Money : NPR

Earlier this fall, the Federal Trade Commission filed a high-stakes lawsuit against Amazon.

In the lawsuit, the FTC claims that Amazon is a monopoly and accuses the company of using anticompetitive tactics to maintain its market power. This is a big case with implications for consumers, businesses, digital markets and antitrust law itself, a very important but somewhat obscure body of law concerning competition and big business.

So this week on Planet Money, we’re taking a deep dive into the history of antitrust. First up is today’s episode, a two-part feature on Planet Money. Two classic episodes that tell the story of how the U.S. government’s attitude toward big business and competition has changed over time.

First, let’s look back at a story from more than a hundred years ago when the government intervened heavily in the free market to promote competition. This story is about John Rockefeller and Standard Oil, and a muckraking reporter named Ida Tarbell.

Then, we fast forward to a turning point in antitrust law that went in the other direction. This is the story of a lawyer named Robert Bork, who changed the way courts interpreted antitrust law.

The episodes are produced by Sally Helm, with assistance from Alexi Horowitz Ghazi. Bryant Urdstadt is in charge of editing. Alex Goldmark is the executive producer for Planet Money.

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