Posted: July 20th, 2023

Gilded Age

Explain the relationship of urbanization, immigration, and industrialization with the national political events of from 1877-1900 including partisan elections, national legislative reforms, and political behavior of voters

The “Gilded Age” was defined as the period between the late 1860s and the early 1900s that followed the Civil War and Reconstruction of the United States. This term was coined by Mark Twain and his co-author Charles Dudley in their book A Tale of Today, which was released in 1973 and is still in print today. The Gilded Age was a period in American history marked by scandal-filled political activity, corruption, shady commercial practices, and ethical vulgarism, among other things.
However, while the Gilded Age is generally portrayed as a period of political inequities, exploitation, and treachery, it was also a period that marked the beginning of modern American history. These were years of enormous economic transformation, technological innovation, reform, political polarization, and social norms, all of which were unprecedented in recent history.. A number of social movements advocating for reformation arose, as did the concept of machine politics, as well as massive industrial and economic transformation that had an impact on mass immigration and urbanization.
The creation of a modern and comprehensive industrial economy began in the late nineteenth century. The establishment of national transportation and communication infrastructure resulted in the change of enterprises and industrial operations. Business moguls took advantage of the situation and made great profits from the booming economy, while abusing the impoverished workers by offering them pitiful wages in exchange for their labor.
This was also the time period in which the largest influx of immigrants from all over the world arrived in the United States. During this time period, the population of the United States rose by nearly 27 million people, with the majority of newcomers hailing from Western Europe and China. These immigrants, the most of whom migrated to America in quest of greener pastures, were employed as casual laborers in manufacturing companies when they arrived.
Increases in the standard of living coincided with the expansion of the economy. Americans who grew up on farms in rural areas began to migrate to urban areas in quest of greater opportunities and a better way of life. As a result, cities experienced explosive growth throughout this time period. More immigrants from all over the world continued to arrive in the United States, with the majority of them settling in the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago, mostly in the poor and overcrowded areas of the cities. Although the living conditions in these slums were poor, immigrants saw an opportunity to improve their lot in life by moving there. Corrupt political leaders preyed on immigrants by promising to improve their living conditions in exchange for their votes in national elections, which they were unable to deliver.
Leadership of the House of Representatives was frequently switched between the Republican and Democratic parties during this time period. It was unable to design and enact any significant national legislative reforms because of the political feud between two important leaders of the Republican party, Stalwart and Half-breed, who were locked in a political battle. Political parties also picked weak presidential candidates in order to avoid igniting inter-party rivalries and divisions.
Reformers and politicians took notice of the displeasure over time, and minor third-party political groups such as the Prohibition party and Greenback party were created as a result. This group of movements called for a government that placed a higher importance on the welfare of the general public than on political agendas. These parties, on the other hand, only drew a moderate amount of support and received votes solely at the municipal level.
References
Newman, B. J., and Hayes, T. J. (in press) (2019). Is democracy a long-term proposition? Within the new gilded era, economic inequality and democratic responsibility are on the rise. Political Behavior, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 5-30.
(C. M. Nichols and N. C. Unger are the editors) (2017). The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era are not complete without this volume. The publisher is John Wiley & Sons.
The authors, Schlozman, L., Brady, H. E., & Verba, S., have published a paper in which they discuss their research (2018). Political inequality and the people’s voice in the new gilded era are discussed in detail. Princeton University Press is a publishing house based in Princeton, New Jersey.

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