The period between the civil war and the World War I

The economic, social, and political growth of the United States was significantly influenced by the time between the American Civil War and World War I. America was greatly impacted by industrialization in all of these areas. There was a rise in rural-to-urban movement and an improvement in living conditions. The idea of capitalism also emerged between 1865 and 1949, a time when the majority of Americans were achieving new standards of life. People used to work on companies before this time, but as factories became more common, people’s way of life changed. The creation of labor laws was prompted by the poor working circumstances. Labour unions were formed to protect the workers from unfair wages, long working days, and unsafe conditions among others. These led to important changes in politics of the United States.

Creation of the Politics of the United States

The poor working conditions resulted in unsafe and unhealthy work environments, and children working motivated the government to create labor laws. One of the first reforms were the laws of state of Illinois and the passage of the thirty-eight general assembly. Some of these laws were created after the government consulted with the relevant bodies such as the department of the public health. Another law that was passed during this period was to prohibit employment of children who were under fourteen years. The concept of gender balance in the workplaces also began during this period. The government passed laws that enabled women to work in factories for not more than eight hours daily. These changes shows that the government began to protect the social interest of the citizens through enactment of laws.

During the period between the two wars, there were some radical political changes in the U.S. In 1980, Theodore Roosevelt created the Sherman’s Antitrust Act. He declared that all combinations in the restrained trade were illegal. Another radical political impact was the Boss tweed and Tammany hall scandal. Tammy hall was a political organization that was formed in 1786 and played a significant in controlling the city of New York and the politics and New York state. The political leader of the Tammany hall was Boss Tweed and aimed at controlling the political patronage of this political movement. This movement was a clear indication of political maturity in the United States. Political leaders competed on ideologies that could transform their regions and improve the living conditions of the citizens. For instance, Boss Tweed ensured that he had an added advantage over the other political candidates by ensuring loyalty of voters through job offering. However, the political competition was unhealthy and resulted in misuse of the public resources.

The employees gained a lot of political powers but the employees acted to control them. Towards the end of the 19th century, the employers were politically organized. Their main aim was to deprive both the whites and the blacks their political powers in the States. These actions helped to strengthen the rule of capital. These actions helped to strengthen the capitalism in the country. During the same period, the government also developed policies that could help the scholars to help in building the economy. Their main focus of the government was to make the country economically strong and gain superiority across the globe.

Political conflict over industrialization intensified in the decades that followed the civil war. For example, the political settlement that ended reconstruction in the return and elevation of Rutherford Hayes to the presidency. Immediately after this settlement, the United States returned to the international gold standard. This step was a conclusion of a long process that began in 1865 and was roughly in line with the progressive abandonment of the effort to reconstruct the south. After abandoning the reconstruction, the country returned to gold payments by reducing the federal military expenditures. The government also promoted resumption of cotton cultivation in the southern part of the federation. This example shows that the political atmosphere of the country underwent important changes that could lead to a more politically stable country.

The civil war was a first modern war. It helped to put in place modern leadership strategies for the development of the nation. Abraham Lincoln helped to contain the country at a time when it was about to collapse. He helped to center the ideologies of the country in political democracy and human liberty. These principles were the concepts of the forefathers of the country but the civil war could have alienated them. Another important change in the political atmosphere was the transfer of the political powers from the southern planters to Washington. The allies of the northern industrialists and merchants helped to create a political condition that enabled the country to become politically strong.

Abolishment of the slave trade had great political impact in the Country. The presidential proclamation, legislation, and constitutional amendments were the main political changes that helped the country to abolish the slave trade. Lincoln’s administration involved all stakeholders in the making of these changes and as a result, they formed the basis for a strong political development of the States. Before the civil, the constitution protected the rights of the citizens on the basis of race. After the civil war, the blacks got their freedom. The society had put the basis of human freedom as participation in elections. The right to vote became the central interest to the formers slaves to get their empowerment and freedom. Therefore, the period after the civil war was important to promote their freedom to vote. As soon as the civil war ended, some blacks demanded for suffrage. This helped to strengthen the radical Republican movement in the north, who supported the black male suffrage both as an act of justice. These republicans also helped to prevent former confederates from dominating the southern political life.

Conclusion

The period between the end of the civil war and World War I was very important in development of the current political situation of United States. The success of the country politically traces its background in these period. During this time, the freedom to vote and from slavery also came to an end during this period. Political organization also became strong and the country gained political stability. The government began to put more emphasis on human rights and freedoms as opposed oppression politics. Political leaders and movements also became strong during this period. However, some vices such as corruption also intensified during the same period. From a historical perspective, one can conclude that United States became politically strong because most of the political reforms were made during this period.

Bibliography

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