The name of the American Ida Tarbell evokes for specialists in the history of the press the beginnings of investigative journalism; that is to say, a journalism based on a rigorous and thorough search for the truth, whether it is disturbing or not. Ida Tarbell earned her claim to fame through a series of articles she published between 1902 and 1904 on John D. Rockefeller and the saga of the oil company he created, the famous Standard Oil Company. Long inaccessible, these articles have just been published in French in a book entitled The History of the Standard Oil Company.
We must all the more welcome this initiative as the translation is very neat, which makes it more than affordable to read. The edited text is nevertheless provided in a light version, even though it is just over 500 pages. This shows the richness of Ida Tarbell’s investigation, which never strays from its subject in artificial digressions. We are taken by the unfolding of the emerging adventure of oil in the United States at the end of the 19th century and by the truly incredible role that John D. Rockefeller played in it. A mysterious and taciturn character, this austere accountant has revealed himself over time – and therefore the book – to be determined and calculating. It succeeded in systematically excluding its competitors through an aggressive pricing policy and, once its monopoly situation had been consolidated, in maintaining constant pressure on its suppliers and customers.
According to Ida Tarbell, which, ultimately, is the strength of Rockefeller, it is his phlegm and his ability to never let adversity get him down. As the author’s own father was among the suppliers ruined by Rockefeller, one could fear that his text would be incriminating, denouncing his greed and his amorality. It is not so. She confines herself to the facts, with a wealth of detail that can sometimes confuse the reader but gives relevance to her story. However, at the end of the book, she takes a stand and expresses her opinion on the rise of the Standard Oil Company and more generally on the functioning of the American business world after the Civil War. She declares herself not only indignant by the behavior of the capitalists of the time, but even more by the corruption of the political class which submits to their wishes and by the blissful admiration shown to them by a significant part of public opinion. Ultimately, do not hesitate to embark on this book, which is a major historical document but reads like a novel by Alexandre Dumas or Eugène Sue.
The History of the Standard Oil Companyby Ida Tarbell (Séguier), 512 pages, €22.50
The rating of L’Express: 5/5