Economic Elites After Civil War

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Following the Civil War and the election of 1866, businessmen dominated the elites. Political and military elites still had their moments, but the growth of business highlighted the period and became the basis for America’s survival. The railroads, which helped the union win the war, provided for both the immense growth in wealth and numbers of the economic elites. The decades following the Civil War provided the United States with the mass production of goods and the coinage of the phrase, “economies of scale,” which epitomized the “bigger is better” theme to business during the period. The railroad industry’s growth aided the mass production of goods because of the ability of businessmen to ship their products across the country. Andrew Carnegie, with his control over the steel industry, grew to become one of the most powerful economic elites in this period. Growing along with Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller …show more content…
The economic elite’s success contributed to the Great Depression, as they had lost touch with their workers. The loss of touch dramatically increased the number of strikes, forcing the political elites to act. The strikes led to unions being given full legal standing in the 1930s, also taking power from the economic elites. The economic elites remained in control until the passage of the New Deal by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to “wage war against the emergency,” and over time end the Great Depression. Before Roosevelt, Presidents sought to decrease the economic elite’s power for many years prior and aid the working class, but most of these attempts proved futile. Roosevelt’s New Deal effectively relinquished some of the power of the economic elites to the political elites and promoted better connectivity between the economic and political elites. In the period prior to World War II, Mills leaves out the military elites because domestic issues rule the time
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