Welcome to Titans of Industry
Dear Delegates,
My name is Drew Kramer and I am humbled to be your Chair for this esteemed committee. I am very excited to work with each and every one of you at the twenty-eighth edition of ILMUNC. With the rest of the crisis staff, I will be working with your Crisis Director – Kevin Shapiro – in order to make this committee as enjoyable as possible.
I am a senior in Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Intellectual History and Political Science with a minor in Spanish. While not doing school work I often enjoy hanging out with friends, catching up on my TV and following the Cleveland Cavaliers. In addition to Model U.N., I am involved with Penn Model Congress and the Sigma Nu Fraternity.
As your Chair and creator of the Titans of Industry committee, I am incredibly excited to be discussing this topic with you all. These titans or as some have labeled them, robber barons, were the dominant force behind industry from the last few decades of the 19th century through the first few of the 20th century. This committee will blend together politics and industry to create a weekend that I promise will amaze. If you have any questions about how the committee will run feel free to e-mail me anytime.
Best Regards,
Drew Kramer
Chair, Titans of Industry
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVIII
Dear Delegates,
Hello, and welcome to Titans of Industry!
My name is Kevin Shapiro. I’m a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying Math and Physics. I’m also the Secretary of the IAA. I’m excited to be the man behind the curtain for Titans of Industry at ILMUNC. The crisis staff and I are hard at work to make your ILMUNC committee experience unforgettable.
The Titans of Industry were instrumental in building American infrastructure, sponsoring the growth of American art, and insuring the continued advances of the nation in technology, education, and culture. As the foremost industrialists of your age, you will have to deal with labor squabbles, the pesky federal government, and much more. Expect the unexpected, a host of colorful characters, and some of the most despicable acts of unabashed greed America has ever seen.
The crisis staff has a lot of exciting plans in store for ILMUNC, but it is my sincere hope that as a committee you can surprise and engage us as much as we will surprise and engage you.
Best Regards,
Kevin Shapiro
Crisis Director, Titans of Industry
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVIII
Topic Summary
Topic:
The Gilded Age—the period of rapid economic and industrial growth in the United States following the Civil War—gave rise to some of the most powerful industrialists that America has ever seen. Among these all-powerful businessmen of the Second Industrial Revolution were the influential figures John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J.P. Morgan, whose names are still familiar generations later. However, not all Americans welcomed these “captains of industry” and their far-reaching control over society. Known as “robber barons” to their critics, the businessmen were accused of corruption, monopolization of markets, and poor treatment of workers. Forced to take action, the government responded with tougher labor laws and anti-trust legislation, but the business community continued to wield its influence over Washington throughout the period. In this committee, delegates will engage in a complex game of collusion, intrigue, back-stabbing, and business strategy to stay ahead of their competitors and to guarantee the prosperity and longevity of their industrial empires.