There are several dubious assumptions about the early West. One is that it was the home of intractable self-reliance amounting to anarchy, whereas in fact large parts of it were owned by Eastern and foreign capital and run by iron-fisted bosses.
In his book "Angle of Repose," Wallace Stegner critiques the common perception of the American West as a land defined by rugged individualism and unrestrained freedom. This ideal often portrays settlers as fiercely independent, yet Stegner challenges this notion by highlighting the significant influence of external power. He argues that much of the West was not truly self-sufficient but was instead dominated by Eastern investors and foreign interests that exerted strict...
