Wikimedia Commons/Rosenthal, James W., creator
C. Brewer’s Big Five Sugar Oligarchy Collapse
Hawaii’s “Big Five” companies ran the islands like a private club for over 60 years. Soon they owned almost everything – sugar plantations, banks, shipping, and utilities.
It all started when C.Brewer & Co. , founded in 1826, joined forces with four other firms after the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Their executives sat on each other’s boards, fixed prices, and backed Republican politicians who kept their power intact…