Nobody said anything about not having governments. Rule of Law is required for societies to even exist.
Read some more on the robber baron era - you'll find out Standard Oil was already losing to competition before government action. For another great example how the free market broke a cartel, read up on how Dow Chemical fought the German bromine cartel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Henry_Dow#Breaking_a_m...
No government intervention necessary.
> Nobody said anything about not having governments.
That's very clearly where you're going with this though.
> Point me to a resistant monopoly or cartel and I will show you a government granted/supported one.
Please don't put words in my mouth. Government's role in a free market economy is quite essential: upholding rule of law (specifically contract law) and taxing externalities. Overreach is the problem though (like regulating the charging port on my damn phone).
That's circular logic. Free markets are defined as those in which competition happens. Unregulated markets often tend towards cartelization and monopoly.
> and, you know, laws.
Which need to be enforced by governments.
> Point me to a resistant monopoly or cartel and I will show you a government granted/supported one.
The whole robber baron era is a counterexample - the likes of Standard Oil getting broken up by the goverment. Market competition is powerful but it only works when the government is actively enforcing a competitive market, which there is sadly little enthusiasm for lately.