Industrialism And Society Flashcards
What was life outside the factory like for a factory worker?
They lived in awful apartments with no ventilation, water supply, and no windows which were barely furnished. Also there was illness and injury everywhere with contaminated water
What were the conditions in the factories?
They were full of pollution and toxic exposure with strict rules, long hours, low pay, dangerous machinery and more
What is an assembly line?
A system used in factories which each person is given a specific task which they must do repetitively and then put the products on a conveyer belt.
What were Marx’s steps toward communism?
He believed that the “class struggle” pushed history forward and that capitalism was a temporary phase. Eventually the proletariat class, being the true productive class, would seize control of the gov from the bourgeoisie and would then build a communist society in which class distinction would vanish.
What/who was the proletariat?
The working(true productive) class
What/who were the bourgeoisie?
The middle classs
What were the pros and cons of communism in the 1800s?
Pros: garunteed safe life, equality
Cons: no motivation to work, trade with non communist governments would be an issue
What were the pros and cobs of capitalism in the 1800s?
Pros: competition/motivation, more opportunity to succeed
Cons: no garuntees, bad factory conditions/monopolies, abuse of power
What is collective bargaining?
Negation between representatives of labor or management to reach written agreements on working conditions
What is a corporation?
A company in which investors share ownership in the bussiness through shares of stock
Define stock
A share in a company or bussiness usually bought
What are dividends?
Portions of profits from the bussiness divided evenly amongst investors
What were the risks of individually owned businesses vs corporations?
Individually owned businesses, while being able to make more profit occasionally, have the risk of full liability while corps have limited liability
What is a rebate?
An amount of money refunded to a customer in return for doing exclusive bussiness with that bussiness.
What is vertical integration?
Purchasing companies at all levels of production
What is horizontal integration?
Purchasing multiple companies in a single step of production
What is a monopoly?
A single bussiness which has eliminated competing bussinesses
What were Pools?
When railroads would share business, set rates, and divide the profit to earn more money
What did the supreme court do when states began to regulate railroad rates?
Ruled all those laws unconstitutional because they violated federal control of interstate commerce
What did the interstate commerce act of 1887 do and say?
It said rates of railroads must be “ reasonable and just”, outlawed rebates and pools,and established a corrupt interstate commerce comission
What were trusts?
When a single board of trustees controlled a small group of corporations producing similar products
What is social darwinism?
The idea of: Survival of the fittest in the the business society
What is laissez-faire economics?
The idea that businesses should be free from government regulation
What was the Sherman Anti-trust act? What were the problems with it?
It said that any bussiness combination including trusts operating in “restraint of trade” was illegal. It caused problems because it was vague, used against unions, and led to businesses forming “holding companies”
What is a holding company?
A company that holds majority stock in multiple companies in order to control them.
What methods did workers use to improve their rights? Give examples
They..
- striked- homestead, pullman
- boycotted
- participated in collective bargaining
What challenges did immigrants face when they came to the us?
They didnt have money, jobs, places to live, endured nativism abd segregation such as tge chinese exclusion act, and they didnt understand english.
What did the populist party try to do to help farmers stuck in a debt cycle?
They supported bimetallism/free silver
What was the result of the triangle shirtwaist factory fire!
Public outrage at factory working conditions
