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Example research essay topic: Second Industrial Revolution Social And Economic - 1,293 words

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... g from the first industrial revolution in the 1800 s, the second industrial revolution in the early 1900 s involved industries like construction, petroleum, telephone, and most importantly, the automobile industry. The automobile industry was an excellent example of how competition can improve the industry as whole. Furthermore, the success of the automobile industry was due to the fact that large amounts of capital was not needed to get companies started.

Also, the automobile industry prospered, in large part, to those who succeeded, Ransom E. Olds, Henry Ford, and William C. Durant. These men possessed a distinctive combination of qualities: technical skill, business acumen, faith that the automobile really had a future and, above all, an unshakable determination to build cars.

Between 1900 and 1940, changes in the structure of business enterprise and the strategy of industrial and market relations drastically transformed economic life in general and the urban economy in particular. Business firms extended their existing lines of goods to a greater number of customers at home, sought new markets overseas, and created new markets by developing new products for different kinds of customers. The expansion and diversification of markets occurred though the combination and consolidation of firms into single multi divisional corporations. Decisions and information flowed through a hierarchy consisting of a general office, divisional offices, departmental headquarters, and field units. Changes in business structure altered the quality of industrial work experience. A new class of professional and managerial workers was distributed among the various ranks in corporations.

Instructions and information allowed for the work process to be directly supervised. The work process itself was taylor ized and synchronized with innovations like the automated assembly line. As the work process intensified, the length of the work day was shortened and wage rates increased. In 1926, Henry Ford institutes the five dollar, eight hour workday. The reorganization of factory work served the dual purpose of rationalizing and increasing production, which jumped 250 percent between 1914 and 1925, and of investing workers with the financial capacity and the opportunity to consume the goods which they produced. By 1929, there was one car for every five people.

Like the first, the second industrial revolution affected professional and social lives of the time. First of all, welfare capitalism took off at this time which was a series of programs to provide better working conditions and programs for workers. Big business was viewed positively at this time which gave way to the open shop drive. The open shop drive, or the American plan, was the owners attempt to get rid of organized labor unions. Secondly, the automobile extended the horizon of the community and introduced a territorial division of labor among local institutions and neighboring cities.

A suburban boom, which began after World War I, peaked during the 1920 s and was facilitated by the automobile. Furthermore, suburban sprawl resulted in a construction boom that employed thousands of carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, and plumbers. In both urban and rural areas, automobile use was shaped by social and economic considerations which lay behind class status: control over income level, workplace location, work hours, job tenure, choice of residence, consumption of household goods, and participation in leisure activities. With the invention of the automobile, many of the goods and services, such as food, clothing, education, health care, and entertainment, that were formerly produced at home by women, had now been bought in village centers or suburban retail outlets.

The shift from the direct production of goods to the purchase of them in metropolitan markets changed peoples habits of consumption. In the 1920 s, urban growth began to change household activity and consumption habits by drawing women out of the household and into the marketplace. Robert and Helen Land observed in their study of Middletown: The great bulk of the things consumed by American families is no longer made in the home and the efforts of family members are focused instead on buying a living. Use of the automobile did not lessen womens household work. Rather, it helped to change it into many consumer duties. The working class saw the automobile as a symbol of advancement and stood for a large share in the American dream.

In Middletown, material possessions, such as cars and clothes, were seen as status symbols for the entire family. In contrast, the business class viewed the car as a luxury item in which only they deserved to own. Henry Ford mass produced cars that became affordable for most everyone. This concerned the business class because widespread car ownership threatened their privileged status within the community. Furthermore, economic mobility allowed for the consumption of technology based items like cars, radios, and leisure activities like movies and family car rides. This created problems for family and religion in Middletown, America because these advancements were perceived as tearing the family apart.

By the end of the 1920 s, economic collapse in the United States would also challenge the social lives of Americans at the time. On October 29, 1929, the stock market crashed, ushering in the Great Depression. Unprecedented industrial growth, over-extension, volatility, and a flood of excess money being reinvested in the stock market led to its demise. Unemployment reached the highest point in United States history. As a result, the quality of lives greatly depreciated. Employment, money, and even food was scarce at this time.

Many people, like those in Middletown, thought the social and economic plight was a result of a loss in morals and ethics. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President in 1932 and brought in the New Deal era. He created temporary work projects like the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Federal Emergency Relief Agency. Also, the Roosevelt administration passed regulatory acts to protect the United States economy. Then, the National Industrial Recovery Act was instituted stabilized the future of the American economy and most importantly, section 7 A stated that labor had a right to unionize.

Furthermore, a permanent safety net was established for everyone. The Wagner Act, National Labor Relations Board, Social Security Act, and Fair Labor Standards Act were all formed and resulted in a boom of labor unions. The New Deal created a positive relationship between the government and economy. The country realized that capitalism cannot go unregulated.

Also, government would step up efforts to take care of those who fell through the cracks of society. The economy was now not only reflected on Wall Street but also in Washington. The most dramatic change during the industrial revolution was the process of work and the quality of life. First of all, technology, natural resources, and available labor made it possible for the industrial revolution to take off. The federal government regulated big business by the 1940 s which improved workers lives in many ways. The biggest change in social lives was the role of women and children.

During this time, women were liberated from strictly home based work and achieved the right to vote in 1919. Childrens lives changed by them going to school instead of work. One aspect that did not change during the industrial revolution was the very existence of conflicts between labor and management, and the business and working classes. The quality of life did improve at this time. For example, poverty decreased and education increased.

Material possessions were obtained more easily by the end of the industrial revolution. However, the idea of the family unit as the top priority in peoples lives was in jeopardy. Social and economic status was determining the way people lived their lives. Ironically, the family unit, which is at the core of American success and progress, has ever so slightly declined due to the industrial revolution and the materialistic society that is obsessed with money and material possessions. Bibliography:


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Research essay sample on Second Industrial Revolution Social And Economic

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