The skyscrapers fuelled a massive boom in the construction industry and were thought by some as an expression of the great American spirit, a defiant display of American energy and optimism. Industrialisation also lead to extensions of existing cities into suburbs. This was mostly caused by increasing car ownership giving people much greater freedom of movement than ever before. “The spread of suburbia provided further testimony to the influence of the automobile”. The rapid industrialisation increased immigration into the US making necessary city growth.
How far was the growth of the American economy in the years 1890 to 1914 due to the rise of big business? (24 marks) From the years 1890 to 1914, the rise of enormous business prompted mind-blowing development of the American economy. Formation of trusts among the nation's heading organisations, for example, Carnegie Steel and Rockefeller Oil took up a dominant part of the business sectors. The American economy developed quickly amid this period, despite the fact that it was not developing as emphatically as in the 20s. Huge business unquestionably had impact in this development of the economy, yet there are still other additionally political and social impacts to consider.
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.
FRQ#3 After World War I, the United States entered an era known as the Roaring Twenties. Historians have been arguing on how economic conditions and developments in arts and entertainment helped create the reputation of the 1920’s as the Roaring Twenties. The economic conditions during the 1920’s were booming due to the increased production of goods, jobs, and investments in stocks. The developments in arts and entertainment such as the birth of jazz and the peak of Art Deco, were also foundational for creating the reputation known as the Roaring Twenties. The economic conditions during the 1920’s helped create the reputation known as the Roaring Twenties.
Henry Ford, the leading businessman at the time, introduced the revolutionary moving assembly line in his factory called River Rouge located in Detroit, Michigan. When people think of the 1920’s, they think of Henry Ford and how the economy boomed because of his company and the jobs it provided. Henry Ford symbolized the new industrialized America. However, as time went on the country took a turn for the worse and eventually was in a permanent state of
When he was younger he planned on creating something for the rich as well for common man that would involve engines. He created the Ford Model T, which was affordable for the poor, and continued to create Model A and other modeled cars (Joans 2010). By the end of World War I half of Americans owned the model T car. The affordable cars like those Ford produced transformed America (Roak et al., 2011). Ford created the automobile industry, which employed thousands of workers and inspired new industries as well (Heritage, 2010).The new industries included but were not limited to: gas stations, mechanics, fast food restaurants drive-ins (pig stands) and motels (A&E, 2006).
How far did modernity impact on the 1920s? The 1920s allowed Americans to create, reshape and improve their environment through advancements in technology, knowledge and experimentation. This is both progressive and optimistic, reflecting the idea of the American Dream and the motto ‘manifest destiny’. During the 1920s, America experienced a decade of prosperity referred to as the Great economic boom. The majority of this was due to the strength of the industry and big business in America.
This concept is best exemplified by the causes and effects of Henry Ford’s Model T. Undoubtedly, The Model T was a great advancement in Technology, but it also marked a major turning point in the advancement of the middle class in the United States. The Model T improved the lives of rural families, urban middle class families and industrial worker and also created a more defined
He was advised that market busts were just a part of capitalism, which had the therapeutic benefits of cleansing the system of unproductive firms. The business culture vehemently apposed federal aid to the unemployed and prompted individual citizens to “tighten their belts” as a way to escape the turmoil. The Hawley-Smoot Tariff made the economic situation worse by raising the cost of imported goods but more importantly received reciprocal treatment for the obvious protectionist action. American products became increasingly more difficult to sell around the world. By 1932, Hoover admitted that voluntary actions on the part of businessmen were not capable of lifting the country out of the recession.
They were also influenced by the fear of Europe flooding American markets with cheap goods after the war. Presidents Harding and Coolidge, granted with authority to reduce or increase duties, were always sympathetic towards the big industries, thus much more prone to increasing tariffs than decreasing them. Congress soon passed the Fordney-McCumber Tariff Law, which raised the tariff from 27% to 38.5%. However, this presented a problem for Europe since they needed to sell goods to the U.S. in order to get the money to pay back is debts, and when it could not sell, it could not repay. Later on President Hoover passed the Hawley-Smoot Tariff of 1930 which raised duty on non-free goods to nearly 60%.