During the period between 1880 and 1900, agrarian discontent increased as a result of the rise of cities, deflation of the American money, and problems with railroads and freight shipping. Farmers also complained about unfair railroads policies towards shippers. Railroad companies discriminated, by charging bigger businesses lower priced shipping rates and charging individual shippers highly overpriced shipping rates. In the Octopus, by Frank Norris, the con of the practice is displayed as the main character, farmer Dyke, discovers that the shipping rate being charged will put him at a loss rather than profit. Congress believed that farmers were right and passed the Interstate Commerce Act, in order to regulate railroads and ensure fair rates to all people.
Social Darwinism adapted Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, “survival of the fittest,” to the business world, arguing that competition was necessary to foster the healthiest economy (just as competition in the natural world was necessary to foster the healthiest, or fittest, species). Proponents of social Darwinism adhered to a “help those who help themselves” philosophy: government shouldn’t invest in programs for the poor, because the poor had no positive impact on the nation’s financial health. The rich, meanwhile, were strong, hard working citizens who contributed to national progress, and, as such, should not be subject to government regulation. Prominent social Darwinists included Herbert Spencer and Andrew Carnegie, whose essay promoting free market economy, “The Gospel of Wealth,” was published in
Imperialism began in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s affecting many countries, for example, China, India, Africa, and South America were all affected by imperialism. Although the New Imperialism resulted from industrialized nations seeking control of foreign territories, the conditions that motivated and fueled the great expansion for industrialized nations were mostly based on economic motives. As Europe gained significant power strongly centered nation states emerged. Several factors contributed to the Europeans conquest of Africa. One staggering advantage was Europeans technological superiority.
Roosevelt had a great impact on America by changing the relationship between the national government and the people changed drastically. The government took on a greater role in the everyday social and economic lives of the people. Theodore Roosevelt had a great effect on the great depression because he happened to be the right guy at a very bad time. Roosevelt had a plan called the New Deal to help America back on its feet. The New Deal programs of FDR created a liberal political alliance made up of labor unions, blacks and other ethnic and religious minorities, intellectuals, the poor, and some farmers.
So he could have power to control the railroad business which was one of the biggest industries and corrupted business. He also gave the pressure to congress to make them pass the “Pure Food and Drug Act” and the “Meat Inspection Act”. Because of these Acts, adulteration and mislabeling food, alcohol, and drugs were prevented. People could ensure that the foods and drugs are safe and healthy. This was the second element of “Square Deal”, consumer protection.
The economy would be ruled by natural laws of “survival of the fittest” and “supply and demand.” These ideas favored captains of industries like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. They had their own monopolies and used dictatorial/tyrannical ways to exploit the workers. In the Progressive Era, the idea of industrial freedom and democracy came in. Workers were thought to not only deserve better wages and working conditions, they also should make some economic decisions and have rights to
A few groups became enormously wealthy and possessed great influence. Consequently, most people felt marginalized. Labor unions became a way for the common man to speak out for improved working conditions, higher wages, health insurance, and other means of protecting themselves. The United States federal government led by Theodore Roosevelt intervened in order to control the strength of new labor unions. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was established in the late 19th century to prevent
World Civilization 234 One of the problems capitalist modernity has in the nineteenth and twentieth century was the exploitation of the industrialization. Beginning with the mind set of the scientist... “The industrial revolution would also have been impossible without two guiding ideas of the scientist: that humans were separated from nature and that they control this separate natural world.” It was this mindset that birth overconfident capitalist. The dawn of the machine manifest and idea into reality. Harnessing the energy of the earth put forth mass productivity and economic profits. Rilley states “it was because of certain traits in private capitalism that the machine which was a neutral agent has often seemed, and in fact has some time been a malicious element in society, carless of human life, indifferent to human interest.
Industrialization cast a broad spectrum of effects on workers in the United States between the years of 1865 and 1914. For some, these effects prevailed successful, but for most they caused disposition and bitterness towards the United States government. Unions formed, workers gained rights, lost them and gained them back again, and strikes were a prominent gesture in expressing the dissatisfaction of the workers. One impact of industrialization on manufacturing was the development of the assembly line, along with numerous factories utilized to produce goods. One technological advancement made was the ability to transport goods more safely and easily.
They’ve been cheated, exploited, and they despise the ones who have caused them their hardships. Giant industries really had an enormous amount of control at the turn of the century in the United States; the greed of the powerful ones has turned the American Dream into a nightmare for an ordinary worker. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair seemed to really want to expose the evils of capitalism, and the suffering of the wage earners. After reading this book I also learned how the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 came about. It’s amazing how long it took them to finally sign off on those acts because of how horrendous the working conditions were.