Some to the most substantial businessmen of the Gilded Age were John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt and many others. These businessmen were highly criticized by many who stated that their vast fortunes were created from the backs of the working class. But, others argued that without these businessmen, there wouldn’t have been the great acts of philanthropy which was used to support libraries, hospitals, colleges and many charities. The previous chapters have shown that these leaders were greatly influenced by social Darwinism, which justified capitalism, ruthless competition and social stratification. What industries saw innovation during the Gilded Age? The Gilded Age brought vast opportunities for people to build on. With innovation in rail systems, we now had a national network of transportation to transport goods, and the telegraph enabled communication with other parts of America. This created new markets that facilitated a national market for consumer goods. With this increase, came mass production, mass consumption and the title of world power. There is no doubt that these innovations, greatly altered American life and society in every …show more content…
As World War 1 ended, Americans were full of enthusiasm and optimism and with technological advances such as the airplane and advancement in communication capabilities, anything seemed possible. Morals of the 19th century seemed to be put on hold as flappers became to define of the new woman. With so many people optimistic about the outlook of the nations, many of them were urged to place their savings in the stock market. Although the stock market has the reputation of being a risky investment, it did not appear that way in the 1920s. With the mood of the country exuberant, the stock market seemed an infallible investment in the future. Interest in the stock market skyrocketed and stocks were talked about by everyone and glamorous stories of common people making millions with stocks only added fuel to this soon to explode rocket. Confidence in what seem to be a never-ending rise in stock prices was so high, that buyers neglected to consider the risks involved. Eventually, signs started to appear that the economy was headed for a serious downfall. This was supported by a slowdown in steel production, a slowdown in new home construction and other signs that things were waning. Many people started warning of an impending crash, but they were mostly ignored. The stock market continued to surge and seemed to hit a plateau. In late October 0f 1929, stocks started to drop and vast