Urban Industrialization, Immigration, Populists, and Progressives

Before industrialization in some sectors like in industries, agrarian revolution, people used to carry out activities like farming, in small scale industries using simple tools and hands. Before the rise of urban industrialization were tiresome, these activities wasted a lot of time, a small quantity of goods was produced, used simple tools and hands which meant the action to be unskilled among others and goods which were of low quality among others. But since industrialization started in Britain and the United States of America, goods were produced in large quantities, and quality goods were produced. The machines, among others, replaced the local tools. This paper will discuss how urban industrialization, populism, immigration, and progressivism were of paramount significance during this era of the industrial revolution.

The industrial revolution started in Britain in the 1800s. It spread to other parts of the world, like in the United States of America. It was revolutionized by scientists like Samuel Crompton, Thomas Newcomen, James Walt, among others. This era was more beneficial as the goods were produced in large quantities which could be supplied in all corners of the states, for example, in the United States of America, and meet the needs of all people, as compared to the early days when the goods were produced in small quantities which were not enough for all the Americans. This was an advantage because now, after the agrarian revolution started is when the urban industrialization followed, and this facilitated the sector of agriculture in that the farmers sold their farm products to industries, thus earning a lot of income from the factories and improving their living standards as well as flourishing the economy of the states like the United States of America. Also, the industries got the raw materials from the farms, which boosted the states’ economy. The people were also able to access adequate services like the right treatment, education, banking, among others, in towns even today; that’s the case.

Now on the side immigrants, they benefited the industrialization sector a lot, especially in America after the rise of industrialization this is because the immigrants were not selecting jobs; they were ready to accept low salaries as well as tolerate the poor working conditions in the factories as compared to fellow Americans, and this boosted the economy of the states a lot. However, the immigrants were being oppressed so much by being paid low wages and, to some extent benefiting the American’s industrialization, agriculture, and economy. The immigrants working under down payment meant that they offered a lot of profit to the industries while getting a small portion of the salary, which conveyed them to survive and improve their living standards and thereby get experience from the work.

Starting from the 1890s to the 1920s, the United States history era is called the progressive period. This period was characterized by many social, economic, and political changes where the objective was to ensure that the built society is right and acceptable fitted. There were progressive reformers, and they were working with a lot of effort of eliminating any forms of corruption, ensuring that all the business activities are carried out without unfairness, eradicating all forms of unethical issues as well as clearing all sorts of social impacts of industrialization (Sequeira, “Immigrants and the Making of America.” et, al, pp. 389). It was even during the time of progressive period when now workers started getting fairness at their work as they could receive good salaries as well as being objected from working under poor conditions and consumers were protected from being oppressed by their employers; also, it is during this time when women got the right to vote. Due to increased government corruption and even big corporations, the progressive reformers could expose that sort of crime. The workers, especially the immigrants, got the right working conditions and got better payments.

The progressive reformers changed and improved many workers’ lives, especially the immigrants, as they worked for low salaries while offering a lot of labor (Haraguchi, World Development, et al. pp. 303). As a result of this, they were able to get good salaries, worked for favorable hours, and were also exposed to fair working conditions that meant them happy and provided basic needs to their families. Actually, with that, the workers felt that their freedom was expressed, and they felt free. That issue was sorted by humanitarian freedom voices who observed and sought that the immigrants were suffering. Due to that, they formed associations that fought for rights and freedoms for workers.

The populist movement arose as a result of peasants in the Midwest and to the South. They were against the Republican and the Democratic parties because of neglecting their welfares and their challenges. There was a challenge of drought, and due to that, it affected some parts like Midwest in the year 1880s, as well as the prices for cotton at that moment, went down to the people of the southern part of which was a challenge (Tomlinson, “Urban History” et, al, 2012). As a result of that fluctuation of market prices, shipping costs, and increased interest rates from banks, populist parties advocated changes. They eradicated those issues to better positions tolerated by eliminating the political corruption and all forms of inequality among the people.

In conclusion, urban industrialization helped a lot in ensuring that goods reach all corners of America’s states and worldwide. It ensured that through the production of goods in large quantities because of the invention of industries and the machines, among other productive devices, the period also saved time and labor, thus ensuring doing work be easier and ensuring time taken for production is short. Through industrialization it created job opportunities, which meant people to earn their living, thus raising their living standards. It also created employment for jobless immigrants. As a result, through the immigrants’ oppression, their welfare came to be solved, and thereby at long last, they came to work under fair working conditions and getting better salaries.