HST 210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Homestead Strike, Samuel Gompers, Pullman Strike
22 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Post civil war was largely rural, still dealing with the effects of slavery. Post 1900, america emerges as the most powerful industrial nation. The gilded age: named after a novel written by mark twain; on the surface it"s amazing, but scratch it and it"s not so amazing the essence of the age. Era of materialism, exploitation of natural and human resources. Social darwinism takes hold; people took darwin"s ideas on evolution and applies it to society. Most suited to survive do, and is thus the best. Ranks society, people, religions; all have to compete, and the fittest will survive, which is for the best. Not necessarily a gilded age for everyone (newcomers) It was an era of great corruption, and once again it was justified by social darwinism. If you could work the hardest, you could be successful; led to an optimism.
