Post Civil War Industrialization and Its Impacts - Assignment Example

Post Civil War Industrialization and Its Impacts The period of time immediately after the Civil War was one of great change. Society experienced dynamic changes with respect to the way in which African-Americans were treated and how they were included within society. Naturally, issues of discrimination persisted within the United States in and around this period of time; however, the practice of slavery was concluded and a greater degree of self-determination was possible. Yet, many individuals would accurately argue that the process of industrialization was the single most important factor with respect to the way in which this particular society shifted and changed the way in which individuals lived their lives during this time period. Accordingly, the following analysis will discuss three of the major aspects of industrialization from 1865-1920 and how these aspects influenced issues pertaining to the economy, politics, and the society of the United States. It is the hope of this author that such a unit of analysis will be beneficial in seeking to understand how the United States developed during this period of time and how the nation itself shifted from a primarily rural society to one that was dominated by a handful of major industrial centers. One of the first ways that industrialization changed the United States has to do with the change in the economy (Bates, 2013). After the conclusion of the Civil War, the North had built an impressive system of factories that was capable of supplying were material to the many tens of thousands of soldiers that were in the field. However, after the work included, the need for these factories to continue to produce war goods was of course immediately suspended. However, the infrastructure, machinery, and expertise that was developed during the war years provided a substantial base through which additional production of non-war related materials could take place. Ultimately, this process fundamentally shifted the way in which the economy was based. Prior to this particular point in time, the United States was primarily and agrarian society that relied upon the sale of food supplies and/4 other types of raw material. However, with the introduction of steam power and the changes in production that industrialization promoted, the United States began to be a dynamic economic force that was able to produce many finished as society changes the goods. This particular economic shifs created a situation by which large demand for labor case you represented within a relatively small geographic area. This reason, recently freed slaves, poor wife, and individuals that had little to no opportunity were able to move to larger cities and develop a relatively well-paid skill set as compared to what they might have performed as a state with a more rural setting. Furthermore, society was also dynamically shifted the fact that large losses of immigrants from Western Europe further came to provide labor resources that could be utilized within the process of industrialization. As society came to the focus more upon industrial centers of production as compared to rural lifestyle, many of the largest city of the United States came to grow exponentially. The impact of this from a sociological perspective cannot and should not be overlooked; due to the fact that it was the growth and development of these industrial city centers that promoted further economic success and development throughout much of the United States. Centers of steel production, manufacturing, and other industry proved to be those areas which the economy was the strongest and the greatest potential for career advancement was exhibited. Whereas it is true that the Wild West still continue to offer opportunities for individuals that were not particularly gifted within the realm of industry, this represented only a small percentage of individuals. One of the factors that is often not considered when discussing issues pertaining to industrialization has to do with the way in which industrialization affected politics and the means by which legislative decisions were made. Ultimately, the concentration within major cities during the era of industrialization provided a more liberal and progressive elements politics that had previously nonexistent. Tens of thousands of individuals living in close proximity to one another and ultimately relying upon one another for quality of life, services, and other aspect of human need, review a new strife in the American political fabric; one that somewhat suppress the individualist nature of American society and promoted the understanding that progressivism and government control was ultimately one of the best means by which the utility of society could be promoted (Weiss, 2011). In tandem with this, voters began to insist upon candidate that were cognizant of these issues and promoted them within the legislation they put forward. Yet, it must be understood as a process of industrialization was not always a positive one stop races, the average individual was impacted negatively by the process of industrialization; at least with regard to the overall quality of accommodation, food, and other necessary complement of daily life (Kim, 2005). As a function of the fact that the owners of industry and suppliers of basic services were able to monopolize power during this particular period of time, the utility of the consumer was greatly reduced and the quality of the goods they consumed, quality of their accommodations, and the overall hardships of their labor reflected the lack of regulation that existed during this particular period of time (Wanamaker, 2012). In many ways, is the lack of regulation and hardships that the individual during the period of industrialization and prompted a more liberal focus towards politics and government mindset and making a more fair and equitable environment in which labor and wages would be dispersed. Although it may seem as if the era after the Civil War and up until the 1920s is ages removed from the current time, this period of industrialization laid a framework for modern, developed, and society that we currently reside within. Furthermore, the political changes, shifts and immigration, and changes with regards the way in which the population was represented at continue to define the way in which the United States developed and is exhibited within the modern era. References Bates, S. (2013). HIGH SOCIETY WAITS. Wilson Quarterly, 37(4), 8-10. Kim, S. (2005). Industrialization and urbanization: Did the steam engine contribute to the growth of cities in the United States?.Explorations In Economic History, 42(4), 586-598. doi:10.1016/j.eeh.2005.03.001 WANAMAKER, M. H. (2012). Industrialization in Post Civil War Era. Journal Of Economic History, 72(1), 168-196. doi:10.1017/S0022050711002476 Weiss, J. (2011). In the Mills: Industrialization and Nineteenth-century New England. Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture, 5(1), 82-100. doi:10.1558/jsrnc.v5i1.82 Read More