Definitions
Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism was the belief that society and the economy functioned through "survival of the fittest," justifying wealth inequality, limited government intervention, and the success of the rich while blaming poverty on personal failure.
How did Social Darwinism influence government policies toward poverty?
Poverty was seen as a natural result of inferiority, so aid was limited.
The disparity of wealth during the Gilded Age was significant. What was one major effect of the economic inequality on American Society.
It caused the complete collapse of the middle-class as wealth concentrated in the hands of a few.
The amount of people in one room in tenements
7-8 people
What were monopolies
Businesses that took advantage of immigrants' vulnerability
Monopolies
Large corporations or trusts that dominated entire industries by eliminating competition, allowing powerful business leaders to control prices, wages, and production.
What was the Democratic party's stance in the Gilded Age?
During the Gilded Age, the Democratic Party championed states' rights, low tariffs, agricultural interests, and limited federal government, appealing to Southern whites, immigrant laborers, and Western farmers while opposing Republican-backed big business policies and advocating for free silver to increase money supply.
What was the living situation common among middle-class families.
Tenements - overcrowded unlivable conditions.
What did tenements lack
Ventilation, heat, and natural lighting
Who worked in monopolies
Middle-class immigrants
Tenements
Tenements were overcrowded, poorly built apartments with no heat or ventilation, without any natural light source, with 7-8 people in one apartment.
What was the Republican party's stance in the Gilded Age?
During the Gilded Age, the Republican Party championed big business, high tariffs, industrial growth, and the gold standard, while supporting limited government regulation, favoring Northern industry, restricting immigration, and gradually abandoning its earlier commitment to civil rights.
Which factor most contributed to the development of a consumer culture among the middle class?
Advertising and mass-produced goods.
Who lived in tenements
Middle- to lower-class immigrants
Who owned monopolies
The 1% of rich people in the US
Laissez-Faire
The government's hands-off approach to economic regulation, allowing businesses and industries to operate with minimal government interference, which led to rapid industrial growth, monopolies, and widespread economic inequality.
How did the political environment affect the average citizen's view of the government.
Many citizens became more politicly active, leading to reforms aimed at reducing corruption.
What was a Primary reason for the rapid urbanization during the Gilded Age?
Job opportunities in factories.
Where was the tenements
In the less-cared-for parts of the city
How much money did middle-class workers receive in monopolies
the minimum wage
The Gilded Age
A period of rapid economic growth, industrialization, and wealth accumulation in the United States, marked by political corruption, social inequality, and the rise of powerful monopolies.
Why did the Sherman Antitrust Act initially fail?
Courts sided with corporations, arguing monopiles were legal.
Why did middle-class families in the Gilded Age often hire domestic servants?
To emulate the lifestyles of the wealthy.
This term leads to the poor living conditions and economic instability during the Gilded Age
Economic inequality
How long did the workers work in monopolies
12-18 hours