Big Business vs. Labor, 1870-1925

After the civil war finished American economy went through a period of extra industrial growth. People had started moving into the cities from rural areas, in hopes of finding work in the factories. As a result Population of New York & Chicago went over a million residents.(Rosenzweig, Pg 23). But in these newly established industries, the owners were looking into maximizing their profits anyway they could, so they cut the workers’ wages as low as they could. The American dream of “Artisan Republicanism”, basically meant that through one's perseverance and handwork, someday you could become your own master. But American workers realized that this dream of theirs was quickly fading away because working in these factories meant that they could

Over time, from the Gilded Age to the 1940s, the United States made progress toward a more equal economic lifestyle for all Americans. Through a combination of laws, organizations, and determined citizens, the powers of businesses were regulated, workers were given rights, and America was transformed into an economic superpower. The Gilded Age was a time when the wealthy Titans of Industry held unlimited power, with no laws to hold them back. The first signs of progress began to show in the Progressive Era, largely due to muckrakers like Ida Tarbell and government officials such as President Theodore Roosevelt. The government strictly regulated monopolies, but that changed with the laissez-faire economic strategy in the Roaring 20s. While the

America has gone through many political modifications. As history moved forward, leaders brought along a variety of plans for the future. Unfortunately, most of these “revolutionary drives” were cut off. Reconstruction led to both a success and a failure, consisting of many goals and respected people.

After the Civil War, the United States went through a period of rapid industrialization which affected the nation dramatically. Industrial growth, the spread of railroads, the rise of big businesses, and the appearance of labor unions during these decades created a modern industrial economy, and American workers and farmers faced new challenges in adapting to these changes.

The movement in organized labor from 1875 to 1900 to improve the position of workers was unsuccessful because of the inherent weaknesses of unions and the failures of their strikes, the negative public attitudes toward organized labor, widespread government corruption, and the tendency of government to side with big business. After the Civil there was a push to industrialize quickly, and the rushed industrialization was at the expense of the workers as it led to bigger profits for big business and atrocious working conditions for them; conditions that included long working hours, extremely low wages, and the exploitation of children and immigrants.

The Progressive Era brought an abundance of changes to America. Lasting from the mid-1890s through World War I, progressivism publicised the national concerns about the state of society, the effects of industrialization and urbanization, social disorder, political corruption, and a multitude of other issues. Regulating giant businesses, gaining the right to vote for women, and offering a newfound hope to the American people are only a few of the changes that occurred during this time. These changes also contributed to the reconstruction of the cultural, educational, work, safety, and political areas of American life.

Labor union were crucial in the late 1800’s when the workers were working long hours, doing hard work, without any extra pay. Job security (could be fired at any given time) and safety precautions did not exist in this era, jobs in this day was typically a threat to the workers due to the bad working conditions. When the union was formed in 1866 it was not easy, but if the workers understood how it would benefit them it would have been a greater successes. Due to lack of education, the communication between the union and the works was broken. Some of the religious beliefs created a hardship on getting the union passed. One of the unions called the AFL (American Federation of Labor) was created in 1881 that would try to fight for workers’ rights.

For big businesses, profit came first then the people. Monopolies controlled the economy. They would act as sponges and just keep absorb profit, engulfing smaller businesses by way of powerful trusts. Many fell victim to the dawn of the trusts, such as George Rice, the owner of Ohio Oil Works, one of the many minor, small-scale companies that was snatched up by Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. (Doc. H). Big businesses also create recessions. What kick started the Panic of 1873, was the failing of Jay Cooke’s bank, in turn causing Henry Clews bank to fail. The chain reaction kept going and the United States was plunged into the biggest depression it has faced, pre-Great Depression. Prices in everyday commodities such as fuel and food were lowered as a result. (Doc. A). Corporations eating away at the economy by way of trusts and recessions are

The labor movement in the United States began due to the need of the common interest of workers to protect themselves from their employers. Those who worked in the industrial sector, organized labor unions were formed to fight for better wages, reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for the employees. Understanding the history of the labor movement in the United States from the Industrial Revolution will allow for a better understanding of the purpose of the labor movement. Incorporating how the following theories: The Mainstream Economics School, The Human Resource Management School, The Industrial Relations School, and The Critical Industrial Relations School the labor issues in the early periods will allow future organizations to address issues in a more precise manner.

In the period immediately following World War I, American workers struggled to earn a living as prices rose and wages stagnated, forcing them to seek union support. Labor unions endeavored to represent the working class against their employers and corporations, who refused to increase wages or improve working conditions. In order to combat the capitalist’s immense political clout, unions made their voice heard through strikes. After the war, capitalists linked unions to the mounting communist threat, stressing that strikes undermined capitalism and threatened a republican form of government. As a result, government sided with capital against labor unions and the struggle of the American workers, who had no voice against corporations. This struggle can be exemplified in a correspondence between union leader, Samuel Gompers and bishop William Quayle, published in “The Twenties in Contemporary Commentary: Labor & Capital”. The letters demonstrate that in the 1920’s, labor unions were necessary as a means to overcome capitalist greed and enhanced the ideals of democracy by empowering the working class.

The very famous Theodore Roosevelt once said, “A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy.” From 1900 to 1918 the progressive era took America by storm. This era progresses reform and try to change the social activist way of thinking. We see how this era main goal was to eliminate corruption to make society whole. However, the first closest related factors-industrial, imperialism, and nationalism were being combined for a change in American history. People party was being formed, Wealth became a major issue, and equality was trying to be achieved. These major choices from the progressive era affected the Second Industrial Revolution in more ways than one.

From the ashes of the American Civil War period, the Gilded Age movement emerged into rapid economic growth. From the end of reconstruction in 1877 to the panic of 1893, the American economy nearly doubled in size. The expansion of Industrialization led to growing wages and the urge to work. As new machinery developed, so did the urgency for rapid production of manufactured goods. In this period, new ideas of time being money emerged. Big business men controlled the Gildan age instead of political leaders. Out of the rapid need to gain money and work harder, negative effects such as child labor, women labor, and unfair working conditions appear. In response, the progressivism era emerged. The Progressive movement arose as a response to negative effects of industrialization such as child labor and unemployment. Reformers longed to regulate private and large industries to strengthen working conditions for both employers and consumers Progressivism was an important political and social reformation from 1890-1920 that aimed to make major political and social reforms in effort to progress society after the negative outcomes of industrialization.

Toward the latter part of the 19th century, bustling America, in response to the trends of industrialization and urbanization that characterized its Gilded Age, began its new century by entering into a new historical/political epoch that came to be known as the Progressive Era. This distinctive period in history (spanning from the 1890s through 1920) found progressives seeking to use the American federal government as a means of change through social, political, and economic reforms. Politically, the passage of the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th amendments are evidence of the success of progressive reformers, despite the fact that some of the new laws failed to create desired social changes. The efforts of the progressives were mainly effective when it came to social reforms related to worker’s rights and child labor, but less productive in attaining improved civil rights for African-American citizens. In addition, the government was, to a large extent, successful in the establishment of economic reforms to aid the working class, such as those enforced by Woodrow Wilson’s “Triple Wall of Privilege”; however, President Roosevelt’s famous anti-trust efforts were ultimately not far-reaching enough at the time to eliminate all problematic corporate monopolies and related corruption.

The Civil War changed and molded the nation onto a path never taken before the Gilded Age, leading to the use of machinery, agricultural advances, and monopolies. Farmers and industrial laborers noticed something in common- the growth of the United States was rapidly moving westward: in size, population, opportunity, and technological advances. With this rapid growth steadily increasing, industrial workers became frustrated with the unsafe workplaces, limited rights, and long shifts with low pay. Farmers recognized the growing need for agriculture in the west as the nation was expanding, but ran into trouble as the realization set in that monopolies were influencing nearly every aspect of the United State’s government and economy. The Gilded

The decades after the Civil War rapidly changed the face of the United States. The rapid industrialization of the nation changed us from generally agrarian to the top industrial power in the world. Business tycoons thrived during this time, forging great business empires with the use of trusts and pools. Farmers moved to the cities and into the factories, living off wages and changing the face of the workforce. This rapid industrialization created wide gaps in society, and the government, which had originally taken a hands off approach to business, was forced to step in.