The Gilded Age lasted from 1870 to World War 1, “1900s.” The Gilded Age was a period of fast economic development, but also much social struggle. Mark Twain in the late nineteenth century founded the “Gilded” Age, which means covered with gold on the outside, but not really golden on the inside, for example, tin. This period of time was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath. In other words, the outside looked beautiful, but the inside looked old and trashy. During this era, it was a period of greed and cunning. Also, it was a period of fast economic development, but also much social struggle.
During this era, the United States altered from a primarily agricultural society of small farmers to a more urban economic force of manufacturing
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America was lush and prosperous. One of the reasons why historians called this the “Gilded Age” is, the fact, that average Americans enjoyed fairs that displayed industrial machines, the latest creations and other American progress. Americans attended circuses, vaudeville shows and sporting events. Baseball became so popular after 1900. America detonated with playing popular songs from sheet music on parlor pianos, played records on phonographs, and bought cheap books that accentuated adventure and the value of hard work and courage. In addition to educational exhibits, the fair also provided an opportunity for entertainment. The world 's first Ferris wheel performed on the fair 's Midway, as did a zoo, a fun house, and a swimming pool. Not only did foreign countries send authorized displays, entrepreneurs also accumulated displays depicting life in the villages of less prosperous countries. Many people who went to the fair took side tours to see shows, which had set up just outdoor the fair grounds. The fair made Chicago the nation 's informal capital in the summer of 1893, but by the spring of 1894 the city was again mainly known for its ongoing struggle between employers and workers. Laborers and tradesmen had poured into the city to help build the fair grounds, but as the fair wound down, the American economy entered another of its episodic