The author terms the Gilded Age as an age in which everything looked perfect to outsiders while the situation inside the country worsened. This argument is true to some extent, but it is not accurate. The culture of a few individuals making huge profits using the labor of a few individuals was not new to the American culture. In the previous century, most of Europe had used this mode of doing business for several years.
Moreover, America had just abolished the slave trade, which was also another form of greedy capitalism. The only distinctive feature of the Gilded Age was that industry leaders manipulated their workers to think that they were part of the team that was transforming the American economy. This ploy was later discovered leading to protests against these early monopolies. The author reasons that the American people were angry before the First World War.
However, this feeling was not collective, and it was only found in a few individuals. For instance, most presidential candidates who vehemently protested the existing inequalities did not appeal to the American public. The author’s personal story about the great depression was quite efficient by helping to capture the mood of the country during the great depression.
The Gilded Age is synonymous with several captains of industry including Andrew Carnegie, Pierpont Morgan, and John Rockefeller. Another characteristic of the Gilded Age is the use of unfair business tactics because there were few laws that regulated business practices during this period. Nevertheless, the American economy recorded tremendous growth during the Gilded Age. By 1915, the nation had arguably become the industrial capital of the world.
The most notable aspect of this age is the fact that this new wealth only fell at the hands of a few individuals. Most American citizens in this period experienced acute poverty. The Gilded age also experienced increased instances of high-level corruption. Moreover, the country lacked credible and reliable leadership. The captains of industry took advantage of this discrepancy and perpetuated their style of leadership, whether it was positive or negative.
Before the First World War, America had tried to stay away from the conflict that they referred to as “The European War.” However, this avoidance meant a lot of tension in the country’s political and foreign policy arenas. America had political or trade connections with both sides of the conflict, and this made the situation worse for the country. Most citizens feared that imperialism was slowly replacing democracy.
Therefore, citizens kept a close watch on their government, and when the country eventually joined the war in 1917, most citizens did not protest. The arms race that preceded the First World War was also a major determinant of the mood that was in the country before the war.
The historical period known as the Roaring ‘20s came after the conclusion of the First World War. The Roaring ‘20s Period in American history is associated with changing tastes among citizens and governments. The need for better lifestyles among citizens was caused by the cultural need to overcome the effects of the just concluded war.
This need for vibrancy was witnessed across the world, and some cities such as Paris and London embraced most of the trends associated with the Roaring ‘20s. The period also witnessed substantial economic prosperity. Also, people were introduced to several conveniences that had been made possible by new developments in technology.
Most of the changes that took place in this period were focused on the newly instituted urban centers. Socially, people started to pursue freedom through their dressing style, their choice in music, and their spending patterns.