Question

What do you think was similar about "Gilded Age Politics" in comparison to politics today and what do you think is very different?

Answer 1

The Gilded Age marked an era of political economic and social transformation of the American society many of which can be found existing in the contemporary society as well. Both the present political system and the Gilded Age, were marked by an increase in urbanisation with the migration of the majority of people into the big cities from small counties and villages in search of better economic opportunities. The economic boom during both the Gilded Age and the present age was marked by extension of tax bailouts or privileges to big private sectors and higher taxation of imported goods and services from other countries in order to protect the economic interests of inland traders.

Although the two historical periods appear much similar in terms of their political reforms, they are also different from each other in terms of the approach to extending the political and economic influence of the country. The Gilded Age was marked mor eby a phase of consolidation and unification of the US state and the government investments were primarily directed towards development of technology like the railroads and the telegraph as the primary source of connectivity in the country. However, in the present, the political system isn’t more sharply directed towards increasing economic diversity in the context of globalised markets. To this end, the telecommunications and the internet have been the major technologicla developments for the present era. Moroever, for the present age, foreign exchange reserve is a more pressing issue and as a consequence, economic outsourcing of the country’s goods and services to foreign markets is more important than consolidation of trade within the country.