Early twentieth century history and society

¶ … Twentieth Century

The Gilded Age witnessed industrial progress and accumulated wealth that boosted the growth of the middle class, yet at the same time there was the spread of "appalling" conditions in the slum areas of the cities, the farmers were in desperate times, and factory workers and others were trampled upon by the wheels of progress (Progressive pp). The "war between capital and labor" demonstrated that Americans were willing to fight for their economic rights, and many historians believe that if the conditions of the working poor had not been addresses, the country very likely would have been thrown into another revolution (Progressive pp). Yet, a revolution did actually take place, just not on the battlefield (Progressive pp). It was called the Progressive Movement, and as a basic conservative movement, it was not meant to cause as stir, but to address the problems of society and find solutions in order to retain its basic character (Progressive pp).

Although the conditions were harsh for workers, living standard had actually risen dramatically for many since the Civil War (Progressive pp). Moreover, education opportunities had expanded, people enjoyed more leisure time, there was a variety of newspapers, books and magazines, as well as a new breed of journalists, called muckrakers, who began to examine American life in detail (Progressive pp). Although reform movements were nothing new, this movement became the largest in American history and its effects felt for a long time (Progressive pp).

The Progressive Movement succeeded because it had support from both political parties, as well as support from labor, management and middle class America (Progressive pp). Workers themselves were in no position to start a movement on their own behalf, for they had neither the time nor the vision to address the scope of the problems, thus they joined unions (Progressive pp). Violence that sometimes erupted, such as the 1877 railroad strike, and the Homestead strike, provided an "impetus for those at higher levels to work to reform the capitalist system on which everybody depended" (Progressive pp).

Progressives were often referred to as "middle-class moralists," because they targeted issues such as alcoholism and prostitution, both felt to be socially damaging (Progressive pp). The businessmen, entrepreneurs and the wealthy classes in general, referred to as capitalists, supported progressive reform due simply to self-interest (Progressive pp). They were aware of the importance of reform because of the national attention drawn to social issues and working conditions by sociologists and others, and just as business recognizes today that workers benefits and comfortable working conditions results in greater productivity and thus higher profits, so did the capitalists of the early twentieth century (Progressive pp). They also knew that reform could either start at the top or at the bottom, thus to preserve the capitalist system, the business community welcomed the progressive movement (Progressive pp).

The 1920's saw the end of women's suffrage with the Nineteenth Amendment, when they finally achieved the right to vote, however women found themselves losing ground on many issues that they had previously gained during World War I, by entering the workforce and creating careers (Boom pp). Many critics believe that the culture of the so-called "Roaring Twenties" overshadowed the economic and social problems of the era, resulting in the government's neglect in addressing the issues (Boom pp).

Prohibition played a key role during this era, and was the quintessential Progressive social measure and the culmination of a social reform movement that had struggled for decades (Boom pp). The prohibition of the sale and manufacture of liquor attempted to use legal and governmental power on an unprecedented scale to modify individual behavior (Boom pp). The stock-market crash of 1929 which led to the Great Depression, did not happen overnight, and was in fact, a "natural outgrowth of economic trends and business practices that took a new and unstable system and made it ever more shaky until it collapsed of its own weight" (Boom pp).