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Industrialization after Civil War

Michelle L. Gruber

Professor Adam McBride

HIS 105

July 20, 2016

Industrialization after the Civil War yielded both positive and negative impacts to the society. In addition to that, it also had an effect on the economy and politics of the United States of America. United States shifted from being an agricultural state to being an industrialized state. Industrialization thrived extensively because of the availability of many resources such as oil, iron ore and timber. Labour too was in abundance due to the immigrants. There also was an increase in business minded people who were very aggressive in business ideas and also in conducting them. During this period, advancement in technology was also witnessed.

Major characteristics of industrialization

1. Railway: The presence of the railway which was built and which led to the settlement of the immigrants to the West and this resulted to an escalation on the availability of labour.

2. Capital: The United States on the other hand had accumulated a lot of capital during the civil war which facilitated the investments in industries.

3. Government Policies: The government executed policies which were geared towards promoting industrialization and this acted as a shield and cover to the factories which had begun operating. Such as low taxes and kept high tariffs.

Five groups affected by the Industrialization

1. Native Americans

The Native Americans were affected by this process industrialization; they were displaced from their homes. The large pieces of land they owned had to be distributed so as to cater for the settlement of the immigrants. They were also in fear of what would become of them when they were to interact with the immigrants.

2. Immigrants

The immigrants were also affected, since they were many in number the local government’s endured difficulties in settling them. There were few resources and many of them had to be forced to live in the streets as they did not have any place where they would settle. Since the immigrants were many in number, the available quantity of agricultural produce was not enough for all of them. Prices of agricultural products reduced greatly and the price of services required in the production increased. On the hand the prices of transportation of goods through railway increased and therefore not affordable to many. There were no longer government policies which favoured the farmers and this eventually resulted to a strains on their lives.

3. Non-white settlers

The non-white settlers also endured problems as they were forced to stay in areas where it was difficult for them to access basic needs. They earned peanuts as they were regarded as intruders.

4. Children

The children of the immigrants also experienced problems through industrialization. Their families moved to the urban areas in search of better living standards only to be forced to work for long hours with little pay. The children had to come in and help parents so as to earn as little as they could to ensure they survived. Most children hence were subjected to do tedious jobs that lasted more than twelve hours a day.

5. Business men

The business men were also affected but positively, they had the chance to invest in the factories and industries. The business men capitalised on cheap labour provided by the immigrants and paid workers little despite them doing the jobs as expected.

The average American was affected by industrialization.

The presence of economic growth meant that there was a rise in the establishment of economic classes which placed most people to be middle income earners as a result of white collar jobs. Most of the Americans lived with panic of the growing population which meant that life was always going to be difficult than before. 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 this made the Americans to get jobs and low paying jobs were left for the immigrants. The average American had the chance to thrive and improve his or her socials class. The railway made it easier and cheaper for people to travel from one place to another and conduct their business with ease hence this was advantageous 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.