Essay Example on Industrialization Spurs Expansion of U.S. Society

Introduction

After several decades that followed the Civil War, the United States appeared as an industrial giant. The was an evident expansion of old industries, and several new ones such as steel manufacturing, petroleum refining as well as electrical power sprung. There was a significant expansion of railroads, binding remote regions of the country into a national market economy.

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The drastic growth of industries leads to a greater expansion of American society; this resulted in the production of a new class of rich industrialists as well as a successful middle class. The industrial growth leads to the generation of the much-expanded blue-collar working class. The industrialization enjoyed the labor force from millions of freshly arrived immigrants as well as a higher number of migrants from rural areas; this made the American society to be very diverse than ever before.

However, it is worth noting that not everybody enjoyed the economic success of this time. The majority of workers were not employed, and their wages were very low whenever they did work; this state made most workers join and support labor unions. In the meantime, farmers were also subjected to difficult times as the increasing production, as well as technology, resulted in stiff competition and decreasing prices for farm produce. Young people then moved to the city in search of better jobs due to the hard times they faced on the farm.

Most Americans underwent numerous changes in their lifetime. Certain changes emanated from extensive technological transformation. This was evident when there was a transformation in the source of lighting from candles, kerosene lamps, and finally, light bulbs. There was an evolution in transportation from walking, horsepower, steam-powered engines, electric cars, to gasoline-powered automobiles.

Brought up within a society where most individuals engaged in agriculture, the majority of Americans underwent an industrial revolution that drastically transformed the manner in which millions of individuals lived and worked; this leads to millions of people migrating rural America to the rapidly growing cities of the nation.

How was the West Transformed economically and socially in this Period?

The West experienced greater social and economic transformation after the Civil War. There was a drastic improvement in farming. Moreover, there was more land for agricultural activities with small farmers oriented to international and national markets as well as greater agricultural enterprises. Due to increased agricultural activities, there was increased production of crops coupled with a decrease in the prices of agricultural produce. It was during this period that it was encouraged by the European and eastern companies. The technological developments enhanced railroads, North, East, South, and West transnational.

The period made the West to be advertised as a region of many opportunities for those individuals who might be finding better ways of enhancing their lives. Millions of American immigrants and farmers moved to the West to try their luck at reaping on the affluent land. The main reason of success could be attributed to the involvement of the federal government; it seized land from Indians and redistributed free land to companies and farmers to ensure that they would gain the advantages under the Homestead Act.

What were the Origins and the Significance of Populism?

The populist movement came into existence in the 1890s with the main intention of creating better working wages and conditions for individuals who formed part of the working class. Populism was closely linked to the people’s party in the United States, while in the Russian Empire, it was associated with the agrarian socialist Narodnik movement.

Populism intended to bring changes in the fading economy and try to alter the government that they were feeling to have wrongly exploited its powers for corporate interest. Populism became more active during the period when the farmers, as well as the farmer's alliance, became upset concerning freight rates of the railroad; this made the Farmers Alliance-populists ordered for public ownership of railroads to offer farmers cheaper accessibility to the market for their crops. The populist movement was mainly made of the middle-class of the whites; however, some blacks were also included, and ultimately women were also seen engaging in the populist movement.

The populist movement came with some benefits to the United States. For one, most the proposal made by the populist groups were adopted; this comprised government control of the currency, direct election of the United States senators, graduated income tax, workers' rights to create various labor unions as well as low-cost financing by the public to make it easier for most farmers to market their farm produce. Moreover, the populist movement played a pivotal role in supporting the suffrage of women.

How did the Liberties of Blacks after 1877 give way to Legal Segregation across the South?

The South had the feeling that to hinder blacks from over-ruling the whites as well as attaining successful lives, they were supposed to do away with everything that had taken place during the era of reconstruction and inform the blacks of their true place; this idea made most of the blacks that were under imprisonment for minor reasons to be brought to companies to work; this was another smaller form of slavery of its kind.

Despite the fact that most Southern cities were in strong support for the growth and development of business-induced black middle-class, there was a bigger segregation of business. It became even worse as blacks could not easily be accepted as workers by the north. Blacks got much into church and businesses instead of getting into politics. Discrimination became more evident as southern legislators enacted laws that could only apply to the blacks; blacks were subjected to literary tests in order to be allowed to do things like voting. They were asked various questions that they could not answer easily. The challenges that the blacks faced could be considered as a form of discrimination and hence legal segregation across the South.

How did the Labor and Feminist Movements Challenge the 19th Century's Conceptions of Freedom and Liberty?

The meaning of American freedom was greatly altered during the Progressive Era by labor and the feminist movement. Females rose up and decided to take an active role in various national organizations like the National Association of Colored Women. Women's' participation in various types of background in the organizations disclosed the freedom of America meant allowing permitting the underprivileged class as well as the minority groups to make substantial contributions towards political decisions. It is worth noting that women were previously not permitted to undertake any participation in any kind of political movement.

In contrast, labor movements indicated that American freedom meant recognizing that industrial workers had the right to better working conditions. Moreover, the movement also conducted a strong protest against child labor. Furthermore, the labor movements disclosed that the main intention of American freedom was to ensure better wages and that employers had to be responsible for their employees who might have succumbed to any form of injury while at the job.

The opportunities of women in the workplace substantially expanded as they were capable of working for good wages, develop a career as well as being able to select from a wider range of careers. Moreover, women also participated in an expanded public role since there was an expansion in shopping. Labor movements played a pivotal role in altering earlier conceptions since its main role was to advocate for an excellent working condition, good wages, and, most significantly, a splendid place within the consumer society. Most workers decided to get into the consumer society since they were willing to be capable of taking part in it as well. The labor and feminism movements, therefore, played a vital role in ensuring that the oppressed in the society, especially women, were accorded better chances in the society hence enhancing their well-being.

In what ways did Progressivism include both Democratic and Anti-democratic Impulses?

Progressivism played a vital role in various democratic aspects. Most progressive leaders ware in favor of increasing democracy. The suffrage for women, as well as the election of senators, were as a result of progressive movements and such changes had an impact of directly enhancing democracy. There was also a strong backup of the referendum as well as initiatives that concerned the ballots so that they could be directly handled by the voters; this was because the progressives had a strong belief in the secret ballots.

However, it is worth noting that progressive leaders were strongly against certain types of democracy. Furthermore, the progressive leaders were nativists concerning their goals of temperance as the temperance goals of certain leaders were to ensure that the United States is made undesirable for extra immigration from Southern Europe. Among the main intentions of enhancing birth control at the turn of the century was to ensure that the immigrants of Southern European Catholic, as well as the Jewish could not produce more Anglo-Saxon majority that was already existing in the United States. Nativism was wrongly used to bring forth the belief that the immigrants from Europe would demolish the ideals of the American Protestants.

What Steps Led to American Participation in World War II?

There are several events that resulted in the United States participation in the World War II. Initially, in spite of the fact the French and the British never trusted Germany, their main worry was Russia. It was nit up to the time Poland was invaded by Germany that the France and Britain decided to take part. During the war, Paris was taken over by Germany. The Axis was better placed at winning the war. The United States intended to remain neutral in the war. However they supplied the war material and got cash; this meant that the British has no option but to pay for the war materials in cash and have them transported in ships. People later realized that the United States was never neutral as they were supplying the Great Britain with war instruments. In the course if the war, the United States was decided to stop the supply of oil to Japan, had their assets frozen and failed to give back their money. Japan was in great need of tanks of oil, planes as well as submarine. The actions by the United States against Japan to made it to be very disparate and was, therefore, left with difficult choice to make; Japan therefore viewed it as an economic declaration of war. Japan, therefore, decided to take over Chins and Korea and then bombed Pearl Harbor. However, no plane was reported to have been destroyed during the bombing incidence. At the Coral Sea battle, the United States offered protection to Australia; this made the U.S. to be driven out of Philippines by the Japanese; this is what led to the participation of the United States in the World War II.

How did the end of the War Begin to Shape the Postwar World?

The end of World War II played a pivotal role in shaping the postwar world since it offered a wider opportunity for the Allies to make informed decisions concerning the Entire Europe. Specifically, the most important was the decisions concerning Germany as well as its future.The conference at Yalta as well as at Potsdam led to the implantation of this idea.