Monopolies In The Gilded Age

Although the argument that the Gilded Age did not have much of an effect on today's industry could be created, the role it played in changing the laws that actualize our reality today is only present due to this time. The Gilded Age, though it appeared to be a sensational time of growth, on the outside it was driven by power-hungry trusts with enough power to influence the government. Monopolies, to increase profits would turn jobs into a plant of never-ending production with underpaid workers, and undervalued staff. These Trusts had monopolies on different products where they could increase or decrease the prices without the thought of what would happen to the worker.

During the Gilded Age Trusts gained power by influencing the choices of governmental figures. Trusts were able to mess with society without any repercussions from the government, the reason for this was that trusts held such a large amount of power over the economy that they could cripple our industrialization economy. The idea of trusts is to cut out any competition that a particular company may have, they did this by combining a

With such a powerful system in place, you would think employees would make part of the profit. However, monopolies made employees feel as if they were heading into the service, forced upon them in times of need, with little pay, and little pride in the work forced upon them. The pride people used to have in their work was stripped away by the ever-growing need for workers. Monopolies needing workers, and wanting more money combined led to monopolistic work conditions that were unfavorable for a percentage of workers. The effects of this were higher prices and lower worse products. Along with this, the firing of American workers for migrant workers who were willing to work harder and for less caused a dispute leading to the forming of the Chines Exclusion