i
- railroad wage cuts in response to 1873 financial bubble bursting causes great railroad strike of 1877; first national labor uprising
- strikes shut down rail traffic nationwide; state militias, federal troops suppress workers
- ensues era of sustained capital-labor conflict
ii
- industrialization driven by tech, investment, management
- scientific management (i.e. taylorism) reduces impact of labor, boosts efficiency
- mass production lowers costs, increases output
- monopolies emerge through mergers, trusts
iii
- industrial growth creates pockets of immense wealth and mass poverty
- social darwinism—“natural order” for socioeconomic statuses
- “gilded age” used as a satirical label, for capitalism v unprecedented inequality
- republican party sided with big business, aligning state
iv
- long hours, low wages spark unionization
- unions—knights of labor, successful in early 1880s
- haymarket square uprising in 1886
v
- populist party challenges monopolies, political corruption
- movement weakened by racism, fraud, inter-party resistance
vi
- something something keeping gold standard alive
vii
- socialists critique capitalism and monopoly power
- advocate for controlled ownership, worker control
- movement declines due to repression etc