Скачать или смотреть History Snapshot: May 15, 1911: The Supreme Court ruled in Standard Oil v United States of America

On May 15, 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling in the case of Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States (221 U.S. 1), fundamentally shaping American antitrust law and competition policy. The Court found that Standard Oil, led historically by John D. Rockefeller, had engaged in an "unreasonable" monopoly in the petroleum industry, violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. This decision ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil into 33 independent companies, which included many firms that eventually formed today's major oil corporations like ExxonMobil and Chevron.

The case arose after decades during which Standard Oil gained dominant control over oil refining and distribution through aggressive acquisitions and anti-competitive practices such as price-fixing and predatory pricing. By the late 19th century, Standard Oil controlled over 90% of the U.S. refining market. The government sued in 1906, and after extensive litigation, the Supreme Court in 1911 ruled that Standard Oil's monopoly constituted an illegal restraint of trade.

Chief Justice Edward D. White, writing for the majority, introduced the "rule of reason" doctrine, holding that only "unreasonable" restraints on trade violated the law. This was a shift from a previous interpretation that banned all combinations restraining trade, no matter the circumstances. The ruling balanced the need to regulate monopolies with allowance for business efficiencies that did not harm competition.

The breakup, while intended to curb monopoly power, paradoxically increased Rockefeller's personal wealth because he received shares in the many successor companies. This landmark case solidified antitrust enforcement in the U.S. and set a precedent for evaluating monopolistic practices based on the reasonableness of their effect on market competition.

Sources:

Wikipedia: Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States
sites.gsu.edu: Standard Oil Supreme Court Case 1911
EBSCO Research Starters: Standard Oil Co. v. United States
Anadolu Agency’s legal archives

This ruling remains a foundational moment in the ongoing legal and economic discussion over the limits of corporate power and government regulation in free markets.