Compare and contrast the late nineteenth century industrialization process in the United States to that of other industrializing countries. Why did the process come as quickly and completely as it did? Why did one historian characterize the post civil war era as “The Great Barbeque?” What did Twain suggest about the end of the nineteenth century when he called it “The Gilded Age?”
Urban life in the United States in the late nineteenth century was full of new problems awaiting solution. Analyze these problems and describe how they were addressed. Define the phenomenon known as “bossism,” and explain why it developed in American urban politics. Analyze the dynamics that allowed for the boss to flourish in the face of known corruption, and using Boss Tweed as a guide, describe the rise, fall and resurrection of a city boss.
Industrialization brought with it several new “social conditions.” Analyze the forces that created a new social status quo in late nineteenth century America. Describe the plight of the urban worker during the Gilded Age. What factors worked against a socialist response from American workers? Describe the response that they did make in reaction to their condition.
