0:00:00.490,0:00:03.040
[narrator] At the peak of their power,

0:00:03.040,0:00:07.320
J.P. Morgan, John Rockefeller, and[br]Andrew Carnegie are worth the modern

0:00:07.320,0:00:11.040
equivalent of over $1 trillion[br]combined.

0:00:12.744,0:00:17.422
But while Carnegie, Rockefeller, and[br]Morgan continue to get richer,

0:00:17.422,0:00:19.522
others are struggling to get by.

0:00:20.507,0:00:22.907
The gap between the rich and the poor

0:00:22.907,0:00:25.257
is as big as it's ever been.

0:00:25.815,0:00:29.815
As the country approaches the 1896[br]presidential election,

0:00:31.109,0:00:35.359
America's poor are desperate and[br]without hope.

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One man sees the opportunity to harness[br]their anger,

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and in the process propel himself to the[br]White House.

0:00:45.480,0:00:46.340
William...

0:00:46.340,0:00:47.174
Jennings...

0:00:47.174,0:00:48.084
Bryan.

0:00:49.026,0:00:56.076
Bryan runs on a ticket promising equality[br]for all, vowing to be a voice for the poor

0:00:56.076,0:00:59.036
and to take the fight to the country's[br]elite.

0:00:59.036,0:01:03.036
[H.W. Brands] The monopolies, the[br]trust, became a target of Democrats,

0:01:03.036,0:01:11.526
so that "antitrust" became a rallying cry[br]of everybody who was, well, not seen

0:01:11.526,0:01:14.806
as in the hip-pocket of the corporations[br]themselves.

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I will tear <i>down</i> these trusts!

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- [applause][br]- Do you hear me, Carnegie?

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Do you hear me, Rockefeller?

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[cheering]

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[narrator] Bryan's emergence is the[br]biggest threat the titans have ever faced.

0:01:27.975,0:01:30.665
He promises to dismantle their companies,

0:01:31.605,0:01:35.055
and to not rest until they're behind bars.

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[somber music]

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Desperate to protect the empires they've[br]spent their lifetimes building,

0:01:41.085,0:01:46.471
the titans throw their full support[br]behind the candidacy of Ohio Governor

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William McKinley.

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[Brands] William McKinley's campaign[br]manager was an industrialist himself.

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And he went, essentially, hat in hand[br]around Wall Street dunning them,

0:01:58.151,0:02:04.721
saying, "If McKinley doesn't win, that[br]crazy man Bryan will be president. And if

0:02:04.721,0:02:07.841
Bryan is president, don't you realize[br]what that is going to do to the

0:02:07.841,0:02:10.741
credibility of the United States[br]around the world?"

0:02:10.741,0:02:15.261
[narrator] The titans wield more power[br]than any group of men in American history.

0:02:16.557,0:02:18.407
And they're about to use it.

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[man offscreen] Much appreciated.

0:02:23.886,0:02:26.196
[narrator] Rockefeller, Morgan, and[br]Carnegie

0:02:26.196,0:02:29.636
each give over $200,000[br]to McKinley,

0:02:29.636,0:02:33.936
the equivalent of $20 million[br]today.

0:02:33.936,0:02:37.616
The campaign is by far the most expensive[br]in American history,

0:02:38.608,0:02:42.838
and McKinley outspends Bryan by a factor[br]of five to one.

0:02:43.772,0:02:47.032
On election day, the lines are drawn.

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It's Wall Street versus Main Street,

0:02:49.981,0:02:51.641
rich versus poor.

0:02:53.264,0:02:57.264
As the results are tallied, the nation[br]hold its breath...

0:03:00.242,0:03:01.312
until, finally...

0:03:02.728,0:03:04.698
a president is chosen.

0:03:06.773,0:03:10.773
Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan have[br]dodged a bullet.

0:03:10.773,0:03:14.513
The country remains in their control.

0:03:15.884,0:03:21.244
McKinley rolls back regulations, and[br]profits once again skyrocket.

0:03:21.244,0:03:25.924
And Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Morgan[br]are set to become even more powerful

0:03:25.924,0:03:27.370
than ever before.

0:03:27.370,0:03:29.243
[music crescendoes]