Explain the relationship of urbanization, immigration, and industrialization with the national political events of from 1877-1900 including partisan elections, national legislative reforms, and political behavior of voters
The years following the Civil War and Reconstruction lasting between the late 1860s and 1900s was termed the “Gilded Age.” Mark Twain and his co-author Charles Dudley coined this term in their book A Tale of Today, which they published in 1973. The Gilded Age was an era in US history characterized by scandal-filled political participation, corruption, shady business practices, ethical vulgarism.
However, while the Gilded Age is often caricatured as an era of political injustices, exploitation, and treachery, it also marked the modern American formative period. These were years of unprecedented economic transformation, technology innovation, reforms, political partisanship, and social customs. Social movements advocating for reformations emerged, the conception of machine politics, and vast industrial and economic transformation that influenced mass immigration and urbanization.
The late 19th century saw the development of a modern and complete industrial economy. The national transport and communication were established, which saw the transformation of businesses and industrial operations. Business moguls used the opportunity and earned huge profits from the thriving economy while oppressing the poor workers with meager in exchange for labor.
This period also saw the largest wave of immigrants into the United States from all around the world. The US population increased by almost 27 million during this period, with most immigrants coming from Western Europe and China. Most of these Immigrants came to America searching for greener pastures and were employed as casual laborers in production industries.
As the economy continued to grow, the standards of living also improved. Americans who lived on farms in the rural areas headed for the cities, searching for jobs and better life. As a result, cities grew at a dramatic rate during this period. More immigrants from all over the world continued to come to the US, most of them moving to New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago and settling in the cities’ poor and overcrowded parts. The living conditions in these slums were deplorable, but immigrants still saw the opportunity to better their lives. Corrupted political leaders preyed on the immigrants by promising to better their living conditions in exchange for their votes in national elections.
During this period, the leadership of the House of representatives repeatedly shifted between the Republican and the Democratic parties. The political dispute between the two prominent leaders of the Republican party, Stalwart, and Half-breed, disabled any efforts to create and enact any serious national legislative reforms. Political parties also nominated weak presidential candidates to prevent stirring up sectional feuds.
The dissatisfaction over the years captured the attention of reformers and politicians who formed small third-party political movements such as the Prohibition party and Greenback party. These movements advocated for a government that valued the benefits of the general public rather than partisan agendas. However, these parties only evoked a medium following and only garnering votes at the local level.
References
Newman, B. J., & Hayes, T. J. (2019). Durable democracy? Economic inequality and democratic accountability in the new gilded age. Political Behavior, 41(1), 5-30.
Nichols, C. M., & Unger, N. C. (Eds.). (2017). A companion to the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. John Wiley & Sons.
Schlozman, K. L., Brady, H. E., & Verba, S. (2018). Unequal and unrepresented: Political inequality and the people’s voice in the new gilded age. Princeton University Press.

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