Since the reconstruction era at the end of the 19th century, the United States of America went through an unprecedented economic transformation. Marking these changes was the quick expansion of corporations and big businesses, maturity of the industrial economy, large-scale agricultural development and the rise of labor unions and conflict that was industrial. This revolution saw a key change in the economy, cultural and social understanding. The changes started in Britain and reached across the world. The whole process of the change was known as industrialization. Comparable to the coming up of farming, or the growth of initial city-states, the beginning of the industrial revolution marked a significant transformation in the social history of the people. Every facet of daily life and the society eventually became influenced by this revolution. In the nineteenth century, the effects spread out through Western Europe and North America affecting each and every place in the world. On the society at large, the impact of this kind of change was large leading to different responses to the challenges they faced. Workers consolidated and pushed for trade unions while farmers built alliances and fought for equal rights in monetary and trade policies.
The nomenclature of the term ‘industrial revolution’ applies to the changes in technology experienced and common during the 1830s. In his book called the condition of the working class, Fredrich Engles talked about the industrial revolution as the kind of change, which brought about a transformation in the whole of the civil society. According to different historians, this revolution covered a period, which varies due to different accounts. Eric Hobsbawm held the position that it broke out during the 1780s and remained unfelt up to 1830s and 1840s. Others argue that the whole process of socioeconomic change happened gradually. Therefore, the term revolution does not accurately describe what transpired. Inasmuch as this is the case, the revolution was evident, and since it affected a tremendously large geographical area, the period that this took place seems less. This transformation had an impact on the wealth. Most people argue that the GDP per capita remained stable prior to the industrial revolution and the ultimate emergence of the modern economy that was capital based. Since the revolution, the GDP has increased at a rapid rate especially in countries practicing capitalism. Some of the causes for the industrial revolution remain a hot area of debate and in the long run complex. Different historians present various differing ideas on its causes. Some see the revolution as the outgrowth of institutional and social changes.
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Mark Twain famously referred to the 19th century as the ‘Gilded Age,’ a time when things appeared to glitter outside but at a closer look was inherently fraudulent underneath. This happened during the second revolution that took place in America. In most people’s popular view, this period was marred with guile and greed, corporate buccaneering, spectators who were unscrupulous, business practices that were shady, politics plagued by scandals and other forms of vulgar displays. Consequently, it becomes quite easy to misrepresent this time as an unremitting era of unfettered capitalism, unobscured poor use of goods and corruption. A more useful approach is to think of this period as America’s formative era, during which the small agrarian producers morphed into an urbanized society in which industrial corporations had a say.
During this time, contemporary industrial economies were made. With this came the creation of a national communication and transportation network, the change to the organization of businesses, corporations and even the revolution on managerial practices, which morphed affairs related to business to a new scale. During this time, a time of reform took place in the law of the Civil Service that sort to limit impunity in the government by placing competitive examination as a requirement for applicants of particular governmental jobs. Railroad corporations were against small business owners in their industry resulting to an Antitrust Act, which made it an offense for corporations to monopolize accordingly placing an Interstate Commerce Act to end the discrimination. During these years and through institutionalization, turbulent times emerged that resulted in labor violence, militancy among farmers, increasing discontent among the unemployed people and an inevitable racial tension. Many farmers joined the Populist Party after being burdened by the heavy debts and farm prices that kept falling. After joining this party, they called for an increase in the money circulating the economy, called for assistance from the government to help them repay the loans and effect tariff reductions and finally requested for a graduated income tax.
Labor conflicts were a contentious issue in the United States of America during the late 1800s and early 1900s. In the steel, railroad and mining industries, bloody confrontations erupted. As early as the 1800s, about 500 strikes took place involving 150, 000 workers. By 1900s, this number rose to one thousand every year involving 700, 000 workers. Towards the 1900s the strikes rose to an unprecedented number of 4,000 annually to the point that more than 500 times, the militia and federal troops were sent by the government to calm labor strikes. Most clashes happened in the mills and mines. These revolts happened in the Midwest and the East; also, others took place in San Francisco and New Orleans and other locations of mining in Idaho and Colorado. Inasmuch as labor struggles remained an acute problem during this time, the skirmishes remained severe in America than other European nations. Nowadays, in contrast to this relations, they remain more cooperative in the United States compared to numerous European countries. Currently, the story of how these labor relations are cooperative and how they have forged a workable system of inclusive bargaining half a century later is the most important subject of contemporary American history.
A number of American workers went through money problems due to the economic hindrances of the late 1800s. These frustrations happened due to the undebatable loss of their status. For the men who were free and white in America before the Civil War, the society was that of independent property holders and producers. These farmers, shopkeepers, and other artisans owned the properties on which they worked on. Statistics indicate that the number of adults who had property just before the onset of civil war was about four-fifths. Higher rates of mobility coupled with western lands being available led to the fostering of a perception of the prospect to purchase any available land provided one had the initiative and industry to back it up. However, the period after Civil War brought about the fear that the status of the American Worker was eroding rapidly. With an ever-expanding size of factories, a perception developed that the relations between the management and labor were becoming increasingly impersonal. In addition, mechanization permeated the reparability of semi-skilled workers and the unskilled with those who demonstrated skilled artisanship. This resulted in a colossal wave of people migrating from Europe to saturate the labor markets, consequently leading to a decrease in the growth of incomes that were working-class.
For many workers who were free white men, this form of industrialization echoed slavery debates. Numerous workers were of the perception that these enormous industrialists imposed a feudalistic arrangement in the U.S. The result was a reduction of the ‘free man’ status to ‘wage slaves.' Consequently, it led to the demand for certain measures that allowed them their freedom as workers in a well-known statement that meant workers should receive a fair wage for the same amount of work they did that day. In coming to the close of the 19th century, most American workers commenced debating on how they would best protect their interests as they were facing national corporations that were extremely powerful. The most troubling question at this time that most workers debated on were, if labor needs to press on for higher wages, better working conditions and shorter hours or a more fundamental approach in the transformations of the nation’s economy. Earlier versions of this dilemma championed for the creation of a cooperative rather than an economy that was corporate in nature. According to them, workers would build and control these enterprises. Another pressing controversial issue was if the unions were to consolidate industries or what is known as an industrial union of if they would organize skilled crafts or what is commonly known as craft unions. The clear picture here being that skilled workers had a much higher bargaining power compared to those who were unskilled or semi-skilled. The stakes that were on the table were the true connotation of the democracy in America modernized and industrialized setting.
Effects of this industrialization on workers were great. This brought about dire consequences and results. Strikes were the main theme of this era with the great railroad strike being the bloodiest and most remembered in the history of America. To understand the immensity of this phenomenon, the exponential growth of the railroad industry is key. The total number of railroad track in miles grew from 23 to 35,000 when the war ended crowning at 254,000 in 1916. When World War I commenced, American railroads engaged one in every twenty-five workers as their employees. One example of this famous railroad strikes took place in 1877 resulting in the paralysis of the commerce of the country and led to the mobilization of 60,000 militia members by the governors of ten states, just to reopen traffic on the railroads. This strike diminished within a few weeks although, it set the right environment for other strikes that were more violent in nature, including the bombing of the Haymarket Square, which happened in Chicago, the Pullman strike in 1894 and the strike of Homestead Steel, in 1892.
During this gilded age, the American farmer faced the question of overproduction. More and more crops were being dumped into American markets and this depressed the price farmers placed for their produce. This resulted in an occurrence whereby the farmers were growing more and making less. In looking at the cotton prices, one sees the problem quite clearly in that in less than 25 years, there was double production and a price fall from 15 cents for a pound of cotton to 6 cents. This occurred in the rest of the sectors of the agricultural economy leading to a loss of confidence in the system. Another problem was the tariff policies. This problem during the revolution permeated in the sense that they were to buy manufactured goods they needed at very high prices that were protected by stiff tariffs and sell their produce at unprotected and competitive prices. These conditions manifested due to the fact the markets had an oversupply of produce, and they faced stiff foreign competition. Another challenge was due to the monetary policy in that the federal government used a kind of monetary policy that constricted the money that was circulating the economy. Consequently, money became scarce. Other effects of the second industrial revolution on farmers included tax and banking policies, freight rates that were differential and made produce transportation more difficult, loss of status and power due to automation and large land possessions by corporations and tenant farming and sharecropping. Ultimately, this led to the formation of the Farmer’s Alliance because of the failure of the Grange to tackle problems relating to agriculture. Overall, workers pushed robustly for the implementation of the changes they knew they deserved. Through demonstrations and active participation in the formulation of trade unions, these workers pressed for the emancipation of working hours and favorable working conditions.
