Economic Growth In The Mid-Twentieth Century

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During the mid-nineteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth century, America went from being an agrarian rural society to an urban industrial one. With this shift, America experienced an explosive economic growth. By 1913, the nation was producing one third of the world’s industrial outcome. America started to become a more industrial nation since it was enjoying abundant natural resources, a growing supply of labor, an expanding market of manufactured goods, and the availability of capital for investment. The federal government played an important part as well since it promoted constructions by granting land to companies and using the army to remove the Indians from western lands desired by many. The rising of railroad and…show more content…
Railroads are considered to be a symbol of national unity because they connect places within it, and of economic progress since they open new commercial areas. Railroads opened new areas to commercial farming and creating a national market for manufactured goods. Extremely important was the fact that railroads divided the nation into the four time zones still used today. Self-made men were men who came from low origins but manage to become business leaders who accumulated enormous fortunes and economic power. For example, Carnegie was an immigrant who after hard work established the “vertical integration” steel company. On the other hand, Rockefeller began with “horizontal” expansion buying out oil refineries. Men like Carnegie and Rockefeller contributed to the creation of an urban society since they donated much of their wealth for the construction of buildings like public libraries and creation of foundations to promote education. Finally, skyscrapers illustrated the advancements in technologies and the rise of big cities and corporate power. Industrialization had a greater impact in America because it was the motor that propelled urbanization. The creation of factories made people move from the farm to city. Because of this movement, cities started growing, buildings started to appear and new behaviors and manners were adopted. Even though urbanization is the reason of the growth cities and culture without industrialization it wouldn’t have been
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