The article is devoted to the comprehension of a number of results of historical research by the outstanding Russian historian V.V. Sogrin. The most significant works of V.V. Sogrin over the past fifty years are highlighted. Sogrin summed up the results of studying the possibilities of the American state to curb monopolies not only between the last decade of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century but also in the subsequent period. Sogrin’s conclusion that the tendency towards monopolization did not disappear, but was limited, should be considered characteristic of American history throughout the 20th century. The author’s conclusion is important: the economic power and political influence of big business was definitely limited, but at the same time, it was relatively easily overcome by monopolies. Sogrin’s works traced the evolution of the idea of the messianic role of America into a political concept representing the American political system as a role model for all other countries, as an example of an ideal socio-political structure.
America; democracy; empire; liberal model; big business; social sphere; foreign policy.