Part 1.
Industrialization after the Civil War in the United States opened the American populace to a world of new opportunities. It changed just about every aspect of the American way of life, for better and for worse.
Part 2.
Post Civil War Industrialization had a profound effect on the American way of life. Since the process had a number of lasting effects on subjects such as society, politics, and economics, it is necessary to consider all the effects of the period in individual detail.
It was the economy that Industrialization perhaps had the most profound effect on. Before Industrialization, Americans were reliant solely on a single distributor for supply of necessary items. With Industrialization though, factories began mass producing items of need, and soon, there were multiple sources from where people could buy products. The process saw a major increase in the competition that existed between businesses, and the monopolies of yore were soon destroyed. To keep up with the newly discovered production prowess of the American Industry, railroads and ships were created. These creations were meant to speed up shipments, and increase America's trade with the wider world. For factory workers, Industrialization led to the agreement on a certain amount of minimum pay, something that is now known as the minimum wage. (Rees, 2013)
Looking at the political side of things, Industrialization made proceedings take a turn for the worse. The huge amount of wealth that factory owners generated made them extremely rich, and the wealth was then used to easily buy off political figures. In fact, corruption was rife in Washington DC, and democracy was greatly threatened.
Industrialization had a major affect on the American People. The first group that was affected was the poor class. With industrialization, the poor had new work opportunities. In addition, with the new opportunities they had, the poor could finally enjoy a better standard of life. Industrialization also created a new class, called the middle class. These people came in to cities from rural areas. Although they enjoyed a better standard of living than they used to when they were farmers, the middle class had to settle for tough housing conditions. The third group that was affected by Industrialization was old rich. These people were rich before Industrialization began, but with time, saw their wealth dwindle. The old rich had to rely on the newly rich for their incomes. The working class finally had something to negotiate on, as they could now ask for a minimum wage. Finally, the newly rich (factory owners) enjoyed a period of immense wealth and high standard of living. These people became powerful figures, often becoming more powerful than politicians.
For the average factory worker, Industrialization brought with itself quite a few negatives and positives. In a nutshell, these include poor working conditions, child labor, poor safety laws, and decrease in skill levels. On the other hand, workers had more work opportunities to choose from.
Works Cited
Blumin, S. M. (1989). The emergence of the middle class: social experience in the American city, 1760-1900. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press.
Rees, J. (2013). Industrialization and the transformation of American life: a brief introduction. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, Inc..
Bensel, R. F. (2000). The political economy of American industrialization, 1877-1900. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press.
