The Industrial Society

1
The Industrial Society

• 1870-1900

2
Industrial Revolution

• The process of change from an agrarian,
  handicraft economy to one dominated by industry
  and machine manufacture
• Began in England in the 18th century spread to
  other parts of the world
• How was the Industrial Revolution a revolution?
• Significant changes in all aspects of human life

3
Technological Changes

• New materials
• New sources of energy
• Invention of new machines
• New organization of work (factory system)
• Transportation Communication revolution
• Application of Science to Industry

4
Agricultural Improvements

• Increased production to feed a larger nonagrarian
  population

5
Economic Changes

• Wider distribution of wealth
• Decline of land as a source of wealth
• Increased international trade
• Separation of management from ownership

6
Political Changes

• Government and policy changes to meet the needs
  of an industrial society

7
Sweeping Social Changes

• Urbanization
• Development of a working class (proletariat)
• New patterns of authority

8
Broad Cultural Transformations

• Worker must acquire new skills
• Decline of craftsman working with handtools
  increase in machine operators
• Subject to factory discipline

9
Psychological

• Mans confidence in his ability to use resources
  and to master nature

10
Colonial Economy Takesoff

• Up to Civil War, American Economy was still
  colonial or third world
• Civil War was takeoff period of
  industrialization
• In 1840 US ranked 5th in output
• By 1860 US ranked 4th
• By 1864 US ranked 1st
• Twice as much as Britain half of all Europe put
  together
• By 1900 US produces 35 of worlds economic output

11
6 Reasons for Rapid Industrialization

• Liberal patent laws
• Scarcity and high cost of labor gave incentive
  for labor-saving machinery
• Standardization of machinery and parts
• Success of American agriculture
• Abundance and variety of energy sources
• Combination of protection and laissez-faire in
  federal and state policy

12
Centrality of the Railroad

• Function of the role of agricultural products in
  industrialization
• Driving force behind coal-steel complex and
  financial markets in NY, Chicago, and San
  Francisco
• Railroad was the physical means that Americans
  mastered the continent

13
Suspension of Laissez-faire

• Centrality of Railroads to expansion and
  development justified direct government
  involvement in railroad construction
• 1850 Federal Government assists the construction
  of the Illinois Central
• Significant federal subsidies occur during the
  Civil War decade
• States also make substantial subsidies
• Total direct aid of government to railroads
  between 1861-90 350 million

14
Government subsidies and privileges

• Charters from state legislatures
• Special banking privileges to raise money
• Right of eminent domain
• State and federal tax exemptions
• Monopoly protection against competitors
• Capital raised by government bonds
• LAND

15
Gift of Federal Land

• No other corporation in human history received as
  much land
• 242,000 square miles

16
Federal Land Grants to Railroads as of 1871
17
Network Growth

• By 1840 America had 3,000 miles of track Europe
  had 1800 miles
• Freight transportation increases despite cheaper
  to ship via waterways
• Advantages
• Cheaper to build
• Faster
• Able to reach more places

18
Railroad Construction, 1830-1920
19
Significance of the Railroad

• Transportation
• Immigrants
• Raw materials
• Manufactured Goods
• Market
• Stimulated production
• Innovation

20
Homestead Strike

• History of Trade Unionism

21
The Wage Earners

• The labor of millions of men and women built the
  new industrial society
• 1875-1900 real wages rose, working conditions
  improved, and workers national influence
  increased
• Health and educational services expanded
  benefiting workers

22
Culture of Work

• Factory work habits demand adjustments for
  immigrants, rural folk
• Many adjust well enough to advance
• Many more see children advance to better jobs

23
Weakness of Labor Movement

• Capitalism demands individual effort unions
  demand subordination of individuality to
  collective interest
• Violence mars movement
• Failed to organize political party
• Ideology (socialism) not popular with average
  worker

24
Labor Unions

• Early labor unions like fraternal orders
• 1886--Samuel Gompers founds American Federation
  of Labor
• A.F.L. seeks practical improvements for wages,
  working conditions
• focus on skilled workers
• ignores women, African Americans

25
Labor Unrest

• Crossed purposes
• employees seek to humanize the factory
• employers try to apply strict laws of the market
• An era of strikes, many marred by violence
• 1877--rail strikes nearly shut down system
• 1880-1900--23,000 strikes
• 1886--Chicago Haymarket

26
Labor Strikes, 1870-1890
27
Homestead Strike

• 1890, price of rolled-steel declines
• Henry Frick determined to cut wages and break the
  union
• Workers hang Frick in effigy
• Frick locks out workers declares he will only
  negotiate with individual workers
• Workers vote to strike

28
Homestead Strike (II)

• Frick calls in Pinkertons to guard factory 300
  arrived at factory on barges
• Striking workers fire on Pinkertons, who return
  fire
• Gunfight lasts 14 hours
• Strikers attempt to sink barges with flaming
  freight car and dynamite
• 3 detectives and nine workers die many wounded

29
Homestead Strike (III)

• Governor orders state militia into Homestead
• Took over plant protected strikebreakers
• 4 months later strikers return to work strike
  leaders and others arrested for murder none
  convicted
• All strike leaders blacklisted

30
Significance of Homestead

• Carnegie steel successfully sweeps unions out of
  Homestead
• Unions would be a negligible force for the next
  40 years
• Damaged unionism in the eyes of Americans
• Damaged Carnegies reputation and spirit

31
Video Resources

• 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America (The
  Homestead Strike)
• Andrew Carnegie Prince of Steel