Social Protests against “Robber Barons” during the Gilded Age
The problems of the position of farmers and workers and particularly their oppression by large industrialists known as the “Robber Barons” played a significant role in the history of the United States after the Civil War (Cottin, 1). The poor condition of farmers’ and workers’ living and working conditions led to significant protests, such as strikes and demonstrations, which sometimes were relatively successful, but often failed because of the protesters’ poor organization and internal division.
Economic and ideological influence of the wealthy industrial businessmen considerably shaped the lives of the American people in the second part of the 19th and in the beginning of the 20th centuries, especially during the Gilded Age of 1870s—1890s. This period witnessed the profound rise of “Robber Barons”, which is a metaphor for American industrialists of that age who were “the new aristocracy, ostentatious, ruthless, and powerfully connected politically, determined to rule the United States in their own dignity” (Cottin, 26). To achieve their wealth, they used largely immoral ways, particularly suppressing the rights of ordinary workers and farmers. For example, “vertical monopoly” established by Andrew Carnegie and the structure of ruling his companies led to workers’ deaths, as well as the deprival of basic rights, such as decent level of salary and a limited amount of working hours (Bostaph, 65). The profits of farmers also struggled as a result of the high tariffs lobbied on iron and steel lobbied by the industrialists. Besides, according to Cottin’s claim (31), the policies supported by Carnegie and John Rockefeller promoted eugenics and social Darwinism, which were reflected in the growing racial discrimination and segregation. Therefore, the impact of “Robber Barons” on the social development of the United States during the Gilded Age was highly detrimental.
The problems discussed above led to the protests organized by farmers and workers. The primary way of protests initiated by workers in support for their rights was creating workers’ unions, which aimed to protect their rights. The first and one of the largest labor unions in the United States was Knights of Labor, which was created in 1869 and achieved the greatest influence in the 1880s. The American Federation of Labor was a similar organization, and it included several different unions. These organizations demanded higher wages, eight-hour working day, and improving working conditions. To achieve their demands, they used demonstrations and strikes, such as the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 or the Homestead Strike of 1892 (Kahan, 3), and other ways of protests. Thus, workers’ fight with big industrialists was an important part of the social history of the Gilded Age.
The successes of workers’ and farmers’ protests are connected mostly with the effects of protests actions they applied. Often, strikes and demonstrations, especially when their scale was large, proved highly effective in meeting workers’ demands. At the same time, the protests movement faced failures in its activity as well. These failures occurred in the cases of government interventions, as well as “Robber Barons’” successful …
