COPPER KINGS’ WAR IN MONTANA. THE EMERGENCE OF THE NORTHWESTERN OUTSKIRTS OF THE UNITED STATES AS AN INDUSTRIAL CENTER

The author analyzes the activities of the “copper kings” in Montana in order to illustrate the role of the American heartland in the industrial development of the United States at the turn of 20th century. Being one of the most copper-rich regions of the country, Montana attracted the capital of entrepreneurs from New England and other industrial regions of the United States, which increased the share price of leading companies. The industrial development of the region provoked the exploration of new smelters, which led to a confrontation between the key owners of the companies for dominance in the region. The political nature of the struggle has significantly weakened the financial position of two key players – M. Daly and W. Clark. The share price of the companies M. Daly and W. Clark began to fall, which made the penetration of new players F. Heinz and J. Rockefeller simpler, and the confrontation became more violent. The press materials used, as well as the journalistic materials by muckraker T. Lawson helped to describe in more details the mechanism of financial speculation that was carried out, which led to the purchase by the companies of G. Rogers and J. Rockefeller of all the major copper assets of the state.