Working conditions were harsh for the American industrial worker in the 1800s. With the boom of the Second Industrial Revolution and the need to expand business to meet consumer demands, employment opportunities opened at a rapid rate. In order to maximize profits, however, workers were given very few luxuries. Most factories had deplorable working conditions and were unsafe. Many workers lost hearing from loud machinery, lost limbs in hazardous equipment, and even lost their life due to the apathy of factory owners.
WW1 ends – The ending of WW1 meant that the European countries were able to meet their own demands and therefore did not need any more supplies from America. Farmers suffered from overproduction and could not afford to keep their homes or pay mortgages, some farmers even decided to become sharecroppers. In 1924, 600,000 farmers went bankrupt. Also, there was stiff competition from Canadian, Australian and Argentinean farmers who were selling vast amounts of grain to the world market. Over-production – Fewer products such as cars, consumer good etc were not being sold as factories were making more goods than Americans needed or could afford to buy.
Landlords often borrowed large sums of money and, when serfs died or demanded higher wages, landlords could not raise money to repay creditors. If the landlord succumbed to the plague, there was no way for creditors to recover lost money. Widespread labor shortages led to a rise in labor prices. This occurred in all aspects of the economy but was especially evident in the agricultural sector. Serfs who for centuries had worked the land for little or not pay, suddenly began to demand higher wages and, increasingly, revolted against a nobility that sought to work them for lower wages of the past.
Labor Union strikes were the most prominent form of worker insurrection against employers. During the period of 1875-1900, many labor unions participated in strikes, however many of them failed to achieve their goals. The biggest reason that farmers and workers went on strike was clearly stated by a machinist before the Senate Committee on Labor and Capital. Because machines were taking jobs away, workers would lose their livelihood, and most likely their only source of income. In the year of 1877, employees working for the four largest railroads went on strike due to the fact that their employers cut their wages by 10 percent; this was known as the Great Rail Road Strike.
After the crash of the stock markets, the demand for agricultural goods during WWI disappeared, and as a result, rural areas of America experienced severe adversity. Banks prevented farmers from obtaining mortgages, and due to this countless businesses failed. Overproduction begun to take place in major businesses and factories, due to the fact that workers could not afford the products they helped manufacture. Numerous banks failed, and many
This was mainly due to the economic pressure caused by land distribution between social classes. The large landowners were gaining even more power and influence in government, while the peasants were being more and more burdened by labor and money. The desperate peasants rebelled, such as in the Yellow Turban rebellion in 184 C.E. Although the Later Han dynasty possessed the military power required to keep civil disorder under reasonable control, rebellions by the Yellow Turbans and others weakened the Han state during the 2nd and 3rd centuries C.E. Furthermore, the Later Han emperors were unable to prevent the development of factions at court that paralyzed the central government.
In the early 1890’s farmers, ranchers and other country folk started having huge issues. They were growing more crop supply than what was demanded by population. These farmers and ranchers would try to sell their food and they would not make enough because there were only so many people, and a whole lot more farms. The farmers and ranchers would end up needing to borrow. The only other option was to find specialized loans so they could
This book foresees shortcomings for farmers and their crops as well economic distress. Populism is defined as people who are the under caste of society making a political movement. The farmers felt like they were beat around by big businesses, and felt like they had no political outreach to help them get an equal share for their work production. To oppose this they pulled together and formed the populist group called the Farmer’s Alliance. This helped the lower classes feel like they had some people.
Many people did not have money to spend in businesses and businesses also took out loans that needed to be paid back. However, without business they were not making any money resulting in business failure. This also hurt the economy. After the war the price of grain dropped and farmers
Because of this, they endured more and more prejudice. Old traditional industries The traditional industries failed to respond to the new mass-production methods of the 1920s, unlike the Ford company that was making a good profit and could pay impressive wages. Also, following a reduction in the powers of Labor Unions (Trade Unions), the workers were not in a position to be able to claim better wages and working conditions in the old industries. * Coal - Coal prices fell and thousands had to be made redundant because the industry was producing too much coal and not enough people and countries wanted to buy it. * Ship building - Another major industry that had to make thousands redundant due to a reduction in the demand for new ships.