Immense changes rocked the United States between 1870 and 1910 that transformed the very nature of the American republic. During this period, for the first time in American history, more people lived in urban settings than in rural ones. America began to lose the small town and rural character that had defined the nation since its inception. Many who moved to the cities went to work in factories, helping to turn America into the greatest industrial (and agricultural) producer in the world. It was also during this period that immigrants, many from southern and eastern Europe, began to enter the United States by the millions and further transform the American character. In addition, the presidents during this era were generally weak (with several noticeable exceptions), which put extensive power in the hands of the legislative branch; these presidents were disinclined to exert strong executive action against the trusts and monopolies that were developing at the time.
THE GROWTH OF INDUSTRIAL AMERICA
By 1894 the United States had become the largest manufacturing nation in the world. Compared to industrial growth that had occurred in Europe earlier in the century, the economic growth that took place in America during this period was nearly beyond belief. Massive factories employed very large number of workers. In 1860 nearly one out of every four Americans worked in manufacturing, while by 1900 this number was increased to one out of every two. Radical transformations also took place in the approaches to work taken by former rural dwellers or immigrants who moved to the American city for factory work. Things such as time clocks, scheduled breaks, and the repetition of doing the same tasks over and over made work very different for those who came from rural settings.
The essential characteristics of this Second Industrial Revolution developed because of a combination of new developments in both technology and business organization. Initially, this growth was aided by the lack of governmental control over the affairs of business (laissez-faire capitalism was the dominant economic theory of the era).