Industrial American: Corporations and Conflicts

Question 1

Management Revolution

Answer 1

Executives were no longer responsible for day-to-day operations. Developed efficient systems

Question 2

Vertical Integration

Answer 2

Company controlled all production from raw material to finished good

Question 3

Gustavus Swift

Answer 3

Worked in meat industry (cattle slaughter houses), created vertical integration, and used aggressive tactics like predatory pricing.

Question 4

Horizontal Integration

Answer 4

Merge competitors into one mega company

Question 5

Trust

Answer 5

Small group of people hold stock from combined firms and manage them as a single company.

Question 6

Deskilling of Labor

Answer 6

Relied less on skilled labor (more on technology or assembly line).

Question 7

Mass Production

Answer 7

Mechanized production, produce many at once.

Question 8

Scientific Management

Answer 8

Manual labor should not require any thinking, only managers should do that.

Question 9

Chinese Exclusion Act

Answer 9

(1882-1943) Prevented Chinese laborers (and almost all women) from entering America.

Question 10

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Answer 10

Workers walk off to protest wage cut in Great Depression, gets major support, and US creates National Guard to respond/keep order at home.

Question 11

Green Back Labor Party

Answer 11

Wanted to protect votes, make work safe, cut out middlemen, and print more money.

Question 12

Producerism

Answer 12

True “top” of society is the laborers. Everyone else benefits on their hard work.

Question 13

Granger Laws

Answer 13

Economic regulations passed between 1875 and 1880.

Question 14

Knights of Labor

Answer 14

Labor union of garment workers, thought workers should have control over the place they worked. Open to race and gender (other than Chinese). Leaders wanted to avoid strikes, but they helped the movement.

Question 15

Anarchism

Answer 15

Advocacy of state-less/lawless society.

Question 16

Haymarket Square

Answer 16

Labor rally where a bomb was thrown at police and police opened fire. Lead to conviction of anarchists. Connected anarchists to labor movement, which lead to their demise.

Question 17

Farmers Allience

Answer 17

Based on harsh conditions for farmers against corruption, wealth, and power. Proposed price supports and get rid of middlemen. Eventually lead to populist party.

Question 18

Interstate Commerce Act

Answer 18

Gave states authority to regulate railroad and created commission to investigate issues. Signed by President Grover Cleveland. (1887)

Question 19

Closed Shop

Answer 19

All jobs in an industry or company were reserved for union members.

Question 20

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Answer 20

Wanted workers to get a bigger share of the capitalist pie. Focused on strengthening union, rather than political battles. Largely successful, but not inclusive which hurts them later.