andrew carnegie wrote the gospel of wealth during the great depression.
when did andrew carnegie wrote the gospel of wealth?
during the great depression
"wealth", more commonly known as "the gospel of wealth", is an article written by andrew carnegie in june of 1889 that describes the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich. carnegie proposed that the best way of dealing with the new phenomenon of wealth inequality was for the wealthy to utilize their surplus means in a responsible and thoughtful manner. this approach was contrasted with traditional bequest (patrimony), where wealth is handed down to heirs, and other forms of bequest e.g. where wealth is willed to the state for public purposes. benjamin soskis, a historian of philanthropy, refers to the article as the 'urtext' of modern philanthropy.
the gospel of wealth
carnegie wrote "the gospel of wealth", an article in which he stated his belief that the rich should use their wealth to help enrich society. in that article, carnegie also expressed sympathy for the ideas of progressive taxation and an estate tax.





























the following is taken from one of carnegie's memos to himself:





























section::::philosophy.:intellectual influences.





























carnegie claimed to be a champion of evolutionary thought particularly the work of herbert spencer, even declaring spencer his teacher. although carnegie claims to be a disciple of spencer many of his actions went against the ideas espoused by spencer.
andrew carnegie