# Andrew Carnegie: life of the week

An episode of [HistoryExtra podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/256580326), 22 Sep 2025, 48 min.

Audio: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR7788559970.mp3?updated=1758551721

How did a man who crushed unions in Gilded Age America come to see himself as humanity’s benefactor? Speaking to Elinor Evans, historian and biographer David Nasaw explores the many contradictions of 19th-century industrialist Andrew Carnegie’s life. From his ruthless business tactics and controversial role in the violent 1892 Homestead Strike, to his reinvention as a pioneering philanthropist and self-declared enemy of war, they uncover how Carnegie shaped the age of steel – and struggled to reconcile capitalism with conscience. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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