The Gilded Age refers to a period in the history of the United States of America. It occurred during the years ending in the 19th century. It was characterized by sustained growth of the economy, with particular attention to the north and west of the country. Additionally, the growing economy saw an increased rate of immigration as American workers' wages were much higher than those of European workers. It should be noted that the Gilded Age also saw a sharp increase in poverty levels in the country (Bartels, 12). Added to this were massive inequalities because, as the number of immigrants arriving in the country increased day by day, the high accumulation of wealth and power over a certain number of individuals also became more evident. The golden age is also remembered for the characteristic increase in corruption in the country. Mark Twain observed that while the American government appeared to be in control and beautiful on the outside, on the inside it was actually rotting due to corruption and embezzlement of public funds. This article will proceed to propose a discussion that encapsulates a comparison between the Gilded Age and the prevailing political situation in the United States of America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As was noted in the introductory paragraph of this article, the Gilded Age was characterized by a number of aspects, primarily including a growing economy, rising minimum wage, high immigration, and rampant corruption and corruption, among others. It should be noted that the growing railroad industrialization effort contributed heavily to the growth of the economy during the Gilded Age. It allowed for immigration, factory systems, increased finances, and mining. Indeed, the growth evidenced in the northern and western United States of America during the period in question can be significantly attributed to railroads as the leading industry of the time. Of fundamental importance to the topic of this article is the political landscape of the period. As noted in previous sections of this paper, corruption in government was at an all-time high. However, this did not discourage the turnout, which was equally significantly high. The Gilded Age saw a pair of similar political parties compete with presidential candidates who based their campaigns on addressing issues related to the prohibition of cultural vices and injustices such as racism and civil rights, and economic manifestos such as managing growing corruption in the country. The position of this article is that the political landscape prevalent today is somewhat similar to that of the Gilded Age. As a matter of fact, the two share a commonality in terms of principles. For example, the levels of corruption in the country in recent times can be described as trending upward even though to the outsider the government can be considered exemplary. Furthermore, a number of problems continue to plague the country even as President Trump boasts of creating more and more jobs in the country. The most notable of these issues is predominantly cultural as racial tension in the country between white Americans and their counterparts of color continues to rise. Injustices related to racial discrimination are seemingly evident with issues related to police brutality, equality, and civil rights raised often in the country (Rivera et al., 4). Additionally, two political parties with great support from across the country will face highly contested elections later in the year. In particular, both candidates for the., 1993.
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