preview

How Did The Second Industrial Revolution Affect The Economy

Decent Essays

In the late 1800s, technological innovations began to revolutionize American lives. Every aspect of the US was changed dramatically. Modern businesses started and replaced aged ones. Americans were able to live more productively. However, this sudden progress for the American citizens seemed to strike the U.S. government during a time when they weren't equipped. The U.S. government had just finished recovering from the Civil War and was not prepared to deal with all these new advancements. Even though the second Industrial Revolution of machinery had a beneficial impact on the US economy in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was limited, and the lack of government regulation essentially hurt the country’s development as a whole.
New advancements made an influential impact on the U.S. economy and led to its initial success. The rail business expanded greatly after the Civil War. Transcontinental lines linked the East and West and by 1870, railroads could carry goods and passengers from coast to coast. Railroads served as a cheaper way to transport goods and …show more content…

With the static money supply in the 1880s, farmers suffered from a deflationary impact on the price of goods. They were forced to grow three times their products in order to pay off their mortgages with its high interest rates. The enlarged national market became an issue when Americans began buying imported goods rather than domestic goods. Farmers were left with a surplus of goods, but no consumers. Eventually, the government decided to step in and place the Mckinley Tariff on all foreign goods in an effort to get Americans to begin buying more domestic goods. However, the tariff not only indirectly reduced the national market, but also hurt the farmers because they were unable to keep up with the rising prices of imported farm machinery. The second Industrial Revolution was only able to briefly benefit the U.S.

Get Access