Big Business. In the second half of the nineteenth century the scale of many businesses increased dramatically. Some of this expansion was driven by the cost of the newest machines in heavy industry, such as steel; only the largest and wealthiest companies could afford them. Many of those who could not afford to invest in new technologies were driven out of business. In some industries, such as electrical equipment, production was controlled by two or three manufacturers. Banks increased in size as well, and in some countries manufacturers banded together into cartels to set prices and production quotas. This situation was particularly the case in Germany, where there were three hundred cartels by 1900. Big businesses increased pressure on workers as well as on competitors. They increased discipline on the job, sped up the pace...