CATEGORY 1: Causes of Rapid Industrialization
Q: What natural resources most directly fueled American industrial growth in the late 19th century?
A: Coal, iron ore, oil, timber, and natural gas.
Q: What is vertical integration, and which industrialist used it most effectively?
A: Controlling all stages of production; Andrew Carnegie used it in the steel industry.
Q: How did industrialization change urban life?
A: Cities grew rapidly, often with overcrowding, poor sanitation, and unsafe housing.
Q: What was the main goal of the Progressive Movement?
A: To reform social, economic, and political problems caused by industrialization.
Q: Which amendment gave women the right to vote?
A: The 19th Amendment.
Q: How did railroad expansion contribute to rapid industrialization?
A: Railroads connected raw materials to factories and factories to markets, encouraging mass production and national trade.
Q: What is a monopoly?
A: A business that controls an entire industry and eliminates competition.
Q: What working conditions did industrial laborers commonly face?
A: Long hours, low wages, unsafe environments, and child labor.
Q: How did muckrakers support Progressive reforms?
A: They exposed corruption, unsafe conditions, and abuses through investigative journalism.
Q: How did the Progressive Era improve public health and safety?
A: Through food and drug regulations and workplace safety laws.
Q: Why was immigration essential to industrial growth during the Gilded Age?
A: Immigrants provided a large supply of cheap labor for factories, mines, and railroads.
Q: How did trusts contribute to economic concentration?
A: Trusts allowed corporations to combine and control prices, production, and markets.
Q: How did labor unions attempt to address worker exploitation?
A: By organizing strikes, collective bargaining, and demanding reforms.
Q: What political reforms expanded democracy during the Progressive Era?
A: Direct primaries, initiative, referendum, and recall.
Q: Why was the Progressive Movement less successful in addressing racial inequality?
A: Many Progressives ignored or excluded African Americans from reforms.
Q: How did government policy encourage industrial growth during the late 1800s?
A: The government practiced laissez-faire economics, offered subsidies, and imposed protective tariffs.
Q: Why were figures like Rockefeller and Carnegie labeled “captains of industry” and “robber barons”?
A: They promoted economic growth but also exploited workers and eliminated competition.
Q: Why did industrialization widen the gap between social classes?
A: Wealth concentrated among industrialists while workers remained poorly paid.
Q: How did Progressives attempt to regulate big business?
A: Through antitrust laws, government oversight, and consumer protection legislation.
Q: How did World War I affect Progressive reforms?
A: It shifted national focus away from reform toward wartime priorities.
Q: Why did new technologies accelerate industrialization during this period?
A: Innovations increased efficiency, lowered production costs, and enabled mass production.
Q: How did Social Darwinism justify economic inequality?
A: It argued that wealth reflected natural superiority and that government should not interfere.
A: Wealth concentrated among industrialists while workers remained poorly paid.
A: Workers depended on wages and lacked job security or government protections.
Q: Why did Progressives believe government intervention was necessary?
A: They believed laissez-faire policies failed to protect workers and consumers.
Q: Overall, how successful was the Progressive Movement by 1920?
A: It achieved major political and social reforms but failed to fully address economic and racial inequality.