Gilded Age Politics

Politics during the Gilded Age were shaped upon corruption through business owners. As this was a time of the Gilded Age, which was from 1870 to 1890. In other countries eye the Untied States was a place of freedom and wealth. The states had shown other countries a misrepresentation of themselves, when in fact the American people were struggling to make ends meet. For the people this was time were poverty was at a high but not for the upper class of business owners.

Many people lived on the minimalist lifestyle, as most could not afford anything else. As they had minimal wage jobs that could not pay for the market of day to day items like housing. This was a time were people seem to have to count on others for help, as big business did not care about their workers. The lower class learned to work with other lower class, as they shared housing and other essentials to share the high cost of them. This lower class consisted of immigrants fleeing from their home country of poverty, but upon arriving them to have a sense of being tricked by the American ways. They knew it was a little better than what they had at their homeland but not by much. As for the business owners they had a great deal of money but with that money came power, especially power then over the government.

When this business started to become richer by the second industrial revolution as this was a time of mass production. Politics got involved favor of the owners of these businesses with bribes and payoffs. As they went hand in hand with each other, one had money and the other had the power, as they were two parties working with each other. As they were working together, they seemed to be formed as one, “Nationally, both parties came under the control of powerful political mangers with close ties to business interest” (Foner). The political parties of the government showed their weakness, as they could be bribed with such money, as they slowly became more corrupt. The more corrupt business owners and the government became they used Social Darwinism to their advantages as they believed that the ‘survival of the fittest’ were them. As only the wealthy would have survived this time and they would be the fittest to keep thriving. As they would thrive so well the business owners would even create companies that would monopolize, that would have more control of their products prices that would affect consumers. The government turned the other way when this was happening, as turning their backs on American people and shaking hands with business owners. This is still happening today and seems it will never change.

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