Dramatic Changes In The Victorian Period

The Gilded Age was a time of good and bad economic growth. In America during post civil war times, years 1870 to 1900, the nation was prospering on the surface, but was corrupt underneath; large businesses took control of the economy, changed society, and influenced politics nefariously. By the end of the nineteenth century, monopolies and trusts exercised a significant degree of control over key aspects of the American economy. Carnegie used vertical integration to take over the steel industry. He then set up a mega trust with Rockefeller, who was in the gas and oil industry, JP Morgan, who was a banker, and Vanderbilt, who was high up in the railroad industry.

Review The progressive era in the early twentieth century was a period of severe social and economic inequality. Progressivism was a reaction to a variety of problems that were becoming more known to the public. It was a time in which many Americans found themselves between class lines and often felt a loss of identity. McGerr a professor of history at the University of Indiana explains the “four quintessential progressive battles: to change other people; to end class conflict; to control big business; and to segregate society” At the same time the great wealth and prosperity for the “upper ten” was being noticed throughout the country. Social and economic hardship combined with the rise of big business and corruption in politics is what started the “fierce discontent” felt by so much of the population at the time.

As America entered the Gilded Age, its urban population grew, nativists resisted minorities, government corruption was rampant, and immigrant populations increased substantially (Shi and Tindall 626-644). Government corruption was exemplified by the patronage system, under which loyal supporters of politicians were given government jobs (Shi and Tindall 641). Most of the immigrants from this period were from southern and eastern European countries, such as Russia, Poland, Greece, and Italy, and were judged as inferior by many Americans because of their cultural differences (Shi and Tindall 630). Immigrants also caused tension during WWI because of their lingering loyalties to nations on either side of the conflict (Chapter 21 Overview). A combination of factors, including manifest destiny and a need for raw materials and naval bases, eventually prompted the U.S. to adopt the practice of imperialism (Shi and Tindall 666).

The ghost of Christmas future shows Scrooge what happens after his possible death, and 3 people are seen selling his items that he needed to live and rest. One of the 3 people say ‘he died with no one by his side’ which leads to the fact that Scrooge loves nobody but his coin. The ghost lets Scrooge also see that Tiny Tim has died, significantly telling Scrooge that he has to change or he will die and so will Tiny Tim. However, Scrooge decides to change his ways once and for all, and he finally pledges to be a kind man to others, with no potential signs of threat or vile manners. The whole point of the spirit’s visit was to use the final blow on Scrooge’s Arctic organs and give him a few more scenarios of what happens in the possible future.

The Progressive Era From 1890 to 1920, the progressives intended to change society by addressing the issues presented. The Gilded age had germinated corruption in businesses, the government and poverty. Big businesses controlled various industries, harming the rest of America. Women's suffrage, sexual inequality had to be addressed. Social issues such as working conditions, child labor, and alcohol and crime worried the people.

He is ready to take on what the Spirit has for him because he knows that is the only way he will become a better man. The Ghost of Christmas Future takes Scrooge to different moments in the future, where a rich man died and no one cares about it. The Spirit then takes Scrooge to the man’s headstone, where he sees that his name is on it and realizes that he is the cold-hearted man who no one cared about. He then says, “ ‘Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you shown me, by an altered life’ ” (Dickens 18). Now that Scrooge has seen the future and the consequences of his life.

A Christmas Carol Essay A cold-hearted sinner, Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol has been called one of the most dynamic characters in literature. He changed in many ways from the beginning to the end of the book. Scrooge changed from a miser to a giver, an antisocial to a man who enjoys conversation, and a grump who no one likes to a kinder man whom is loved by everybody. At the beginning of the book, Scrooge would not give anything to anyone. He would only let his clerk have one coal to keep himself warm even in the winter.

Oscar Wilde wrote his plays against the backdrop of the Victorian English society. It therefore helps to discuss the salient aspects of the Victorian society. Victorian England is known for many paradoxes -- glaring contrasts between the rich and the poor, insistence on morality on the one hand and the practice of cynicism on the other, blooming creativity pitted against blatant constriction, imperial grandeur since Britain was then ruling almost one fifth of the total surface of the earth and domestic squalor since the majority of people did not have decent means of livelihood, and finally collectivity dictated by tradition opposed to the rapidly developing individualism. The class system denied the talented members of the lower classes access to social and economic advancement. The upper classes alone had the privilege of working in the government, the armed forces, and the church, while trade was monopolized by the rising middle class.

Corruption was rampant in politics and labor. There was a growing disparity between the rich and the poor and the large influx of migration wasn't helping this. All the while the urban middle class were experiencing a growth in this period. (pg3) Reformers were comprised mainly of the middle class. In 1890, Jacob Riis' “How the Other Half Lives” was published.

Dickens shows us the contrast of the extreme wealth and extreme poor when the ghost of Christmas present flies Scrooge over London, creating a panoramic over view of all the lives of different people being lived, some celebrating the occasion with all life can offer and others with nothing. The ghost of Christmas present also shows us Fezziwig, Scrooge’s employer as an apprentice, he is a foil for Scrooge. He showed compassion for others, and did not put himself on a pedestal because of his class. This is shown when he has a Christmas party and invites even the most vulnerable in society. It was charity like

The Great depression impacted the Americana government in a way that the government had to change, reform and became more cautious of economic situations. This book seemed to give a great detail of the time period of the Great Depression and the impact of it. The author, Shlaes seemed very bias toward her opinion as she stated, “all the changes brought by the New Deal meant that the United States seemed a less reliable place” (Shlaes 336). She did not seem to like Roosevelt and the New Deal, but nevertheless, she seemed to give a great detail of the impacts of the Great depression on American life and how it changed their values and also how it impacted the American

Brant Johnson History 305 Section 8 Globalization by Imperial Expansion The central features of European imperialism; monopolistic Capitalism, the Civilizing Mission, and competition amongst Imperial powers all lead to a shrinking community and globalization of the world’s population. These features helped to create complex trade routes connecting communities around the globe while also introducing interaction between indigenous populations with European colonists. However these relations were not always equally beneficial. Creating linkages between peoples for interaction is the key that each of these features have in common and is the main factor in helping to spread culture and ideals to bring about a globalized world population. Monopolistic

In Franklin’s work The Way to Wealth, Franklin uses sayings from Poor Richard to explain financial situations. Franklin emphasizes in his writing how the harsh taxes the British impose on the colonists are unfair. Franklin also explains how it takes hard work to maximize financial freedom. He states, “There are no gains without pains” (Franklin 459). Franklin’s work made it easier for the colonists to understand the financial restriction Britain had on the colonies and how to overcome the restrictions to gain financial freedom.

Victorian Britain and the Contradictions that Charles Dickens Portrayed Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist was published in 1837 during the Victorian Era. The book was written during a time of great advancements in medicine, technology, and science. These new technologies along with the British imperial expansion led to a skyrocket in population and wealth. The increase of people and wealth made Britain 's poor even poorer, and resulted in distasteful practices that led to the Victorian Era being known as a time of contradictions. Charles Dickens’s life and Oliver Twist symbolize the contradictions that were prevalent during the Victorian Era.