Question

1. In a well-constructed essay, discuss the competing belief systems of the Big Business Capitalists with that of the workers/Unions during the end of the 19th century. In this essay, make sure to include a discussion of: (1) the main issues of dispute between these two groups; and (2) three examples of the major events that occurred as as a result of these disputes.

Answer 1

1. Most reformers failed to recognize the ambiguity of their reform movements. While reformers wanted to change genuine societal ills, their reform spirit was combined with moral convictions that used "hatred as a kind of creed" - hatred of anything that was different, especially European immigrants, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, big business, trade unions, Socialists, anarchists. In these cases, some types of reform actually stimulated reactive policies rather than proactive reform - especially labor strikes and urban race riots.
2. Taken as a whole, these reforms were gradual and predictable changes that represented "progress" in a society that could no longer turn a deaf ear to the excesses of industrialization and urbanization, bear the consequences of government corruption, ignore women's demands for equal rights, or allow the wanton destruction of the environment. As such, the reforms of late-19th and early-20th Century America reflected an evolutionary step forward slightly altering the status quo - not a revolutionary overthrow of historical values or operating practices of the nation's traditional power brokers.
3. Despite the efforts of a few vocal socialists and anarchists, capitalism emerged healthier than ever at the end of the Progressive Era.