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A look into the industrialization after Civil War shows that industrialization had both positive and negative impacts to the society, economy and politics of the United States. After the Civil War, America went from being an agricultural state to being industrialized. Industrialization was able to peak due to availability of resources such as oil, iron ore and timber. Labor was also in plenty due to its immigrants. There emerged business leaders who were very talented. There was also the improvement and development of technology.

The major aspects of industrialization were: the railroads that had been built encouraged settlement of immigrants to the West which meant there was increase in labor to boost the industrialization process. During the Civil War, the US gained a lot of capital which made investments into industries and factories possible. Foreign investors also took part in the growth of industrialization. The government implemented policies that protected the factories and industries that had emerged. For example, it maintained low taxes and kept high tariffs and also did not interfere with the process.

Groups affected by industrialization were the Native Americans. This group faced displacement from their homes and also reduction of the land they owned as more and more immigrants moved to the US. They also faced fear of the unknown as they did not know what the immigrants would bring with them. Another group affected were the immigrants. Since they were many in number, the local governments could not handle settling all of them. Resources were also limited and many suffered out in the streets. The farmers at the time were also affected. While demand for their agricultural products increased due to the growing population, prices went down and services they required to produce went up. Even transportation costs increased when it came to transporting their goods through rail. There were no government policies that were in favor of the farmers and this put a strain on their lives.

Nonwhite settlers were also affected as they were forced to live in areas of land which were not convenient for them to access basic needs. Most were also employed with little to no pay as their employers viewed them as intruders. Children of the immigrants were also affected by the industrialization. Their families moved to the cities to try and get better living standards but this was not the case. People were forced to work for many hours and yet received very low pay. In most families, all able parties, including children were expected to work so as to survive. Many children were therefore forced into tedious jobs that lasted more than half a day. Also affected were the wealthy business men. They so an opportunity to invest in factories and industries. They also took advantage of the labor provided by the immigrants and paid the workers very little despite the jobs done.

Industrialization affected the life of the Average American at the time in many ways. Due to the economic growth in the country, there was development of economic classes which placed most people as middle income earners due to development of white collar jobs. Most Americans also lived in fear due to the growing population. The economy of the land eventually stabilized which means most people lived comfortably. Low food prices meant that the working American could provide good food for their families without much strain. The increase in investments also meant increase in jobs and for most Americans this was not difficult to get a well-paying job as most manual and low paying jobs were left for the immigrants. The average American got to thrive and was able to improve their social and economic standings. The railroad transportation made it possible for people to travel from place to place making trade and business much simpler and hence beneficial to the working American.

References

Chen, S., Loayza, N., & Reynal-Querol, M. (2007). The aftermath of civil war. [Washington, D.C]: World Bank, Development Research Group, Growth and Macroeconomics Team.

Link, W. & Link, S. (2012). The Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Wallmeier, F. (2011). Industrialization. Stuttgart: Klett.