Reconsidering Gabriel Kolko

Historian Gabriel Kolko argued that the “progressive” reforms of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries came about because titans of big business worked with their political counterparts to promote regulations to tame smaller business rivals and to stave off threats from antibusiness political movements. Kolko successfully challenged the simplistic Progressive interpretation of American history, but his thesis is marred by his invalid conception of “political capitalism,” his failure to apply methodological individualism, and his surprisingly weak evidence—shortcomings that warrant a reappraisal of his work, especially by libertarians who believe Kolko’s work helps support the case for laissez-faire.