The Gilded Age: the Most Transformative Era in American History FULL SPECIAL | PBS America
The Gilded Age presents a compelling and complex story of one of the most convulsive and transformative eras in American history. In the closing decades of the nineteenth century, the U.S. population doubled in the span of a single generation, national wealth expanded, and two classes rose simultaneously, separated by a gulf of experience and circumstance that was unprecedented in American life.
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Always love the quality of PBS docs. It's a lost art.
I'm English, but love PBS and watch a lot of its excellent programmes. This is one of the best yet.
It's about time you started putting these documentaries on youtube.
You crack me up 😅
🗽👌🙏
Damn right!
No doubt😂. PBS isn’t the brightest😅 They cud make a fortune just with Ken Burns collection helping millions 💤 sleep😊 I don’t get it, but I hear about it constantly❤
This explains a lot about current US politics. I've always wondered why employers, especially huge corporations, have such political power in the US.
Money talks...
America's wealth (of the few) is built on the greatest suffering of the masses. It's not the wealthiest country on earth but rather the country with the wealthiest people on earth.
Interestingly enough, over the span of decades, or perhaps even centuries, there have been many countries all over the world who had "suffering" masses. Did any of those other countries produce such wealth and in such proportion as to vilify it's elites? Even the poorer of US worker was richer than the average world citizen at the time -- Ellis Island continued to be a busy place. Perhaps the balance between small and great is exactly as it should be.
@@keithsummers1889 I'd prefer it if nobody was vilified unfairly but certainly in the United States the poor are vilified much more than the elites.
Some Rajas in India have been more wealthy than American wealthy. Even today.
"suffering of the masses"? If you're referring to the 18th or 19th century, the entire world was suffering to a great degree. I do believe that cumulatively it is the wealthiest country in history -- why? Because money follows freedom.
@@keithsummers1889 Even czars, kings and queens were less food secure than anyone in the western world today. They had lavish feasts from time to time as a display of power but between times, they were often hungry and usually cold.
PBS has the best Documentaries
I'm Julian Fellowes and I approve this documentary.
Thank you Julian
Yeah cheers for that 👍
It's 2024 yet much of this is occurring again today. Why do we ignore history?
Overconfidence that any negative backlash wouldn't happen to them
Interesting documentary, goes to show that nothing has changed, whatsoever. The poor are getting poorer, the rich, ruling elite, getting richer!
Like King Solomon once said, "There is nothing new under the sun..."
@@twovthree Remember though that the gilded age and the 30s was followed by the new deal and for a while the people got more of a fair share of the riches. It didn't last unfortunately but I feel a rebalancing is about due now. Luv and Peace.
@@ianedmonds9191During the 1930's depression Keynesian economics ( gov regulated ) economics was introduced and became widely accepted throughout Western countries . The 1970's era of stagflation gave snake oil economists the excuse to say Keynesian economics does work and Reagan , Thatcher and Mulroney ushered in neo liberal economics based on Hayak and Friedman . Globalization ( ie NAFTA 1.0 ) was a method of exporting American jobs to cheaper labour markets ( Mexico ) . Trickle down economics never trickled down . Thatcher and Mulroney privatized all the public assets they could get away with and the public got shafted . Now we are in an era of crony neo liberalism , where during the 2008 financial crisis , money printed by the US Fed was used to bail out the very investment banks who caused the financial crisis . Money printing is ending up in the hands of the top 1 % and they are using it to buy assets - stocks and real estate . . To rephrase Thomas Pikitty , Asset Growth ( Capital Gains ) > Income Growth ,
As Micheal Hudson points out , Classical Economists ie Adam Smith advocated for using capital to create actual wealth ( the production of goods ) , as opposed to using capital to exploit others . Then in the 20th century , snake oil economists said the use of all capital creates wealth . Recommend reading " Three Good Rules for Pundit Behaviour " by Miles Corak - which is on line . He discusses income inequality . .
Thomas Pikitty discusses total wealth inequality ( Income + asset inequality ) Note the graphs he presents kzhead.info/sun/fa-seMyQrqN6pIU/bejne.html .
Lots to think about, resonate with the times
An amazing documentary, there are so many about the civil war and the world wars but this era was perhaps the most critical in US history, thank you for uploading this
Slave driver Car Nag what?
Take away: During the Gilded age capitalism gained greater control over American life. The essence of democracy is equality, the essence of capitalism is inequality i.e; rich people are much more powerful than poor people. The question of wealth versus people ballooned in the Gilded Age. Does our government represent wealth or do they represent people? That is the fundamental issue which is with us today.
Well said
Well said. Governments had a clear mandate to safeguard the people and balance the scales.
The essence of democracy is NOT equality. It means only governance by the people. Not all the people though. At times the men, or the land owners or those over 21. ( demo= people, cracy= system). It means the opportunity to make the most out of one’s own resources and talents and work, but not equality. Equality would be communism.
@@jenkins5265No, not to balance the scale. That is incorrect.
Yes what you're saying is correct. I remember reading about democracy being about equity and not equality@@ace6285
Well it’s great to see we have progressed so far…..
LOL🖤🇨🇦
I've been waiting for years for this documentary to be released on KZhead. 2024 is going to be a fantastic year for me 🤣💛👌🏾
I've been waiting since the gilded age
@@Danno382 me too 🤪
The precepts of the US economic, political and social scenes have changed little due to man’s greed and lack of community humanity….gilded age or digital age, not much have changed…..today, we have the opportunity and responsibility to vote responsibly for a government truly for the people ….
Carnegie, Morgan Vanderbilt… today we have Bezzos, Gates, Musk..
That Musk. Horrible, horrible, horrible.
This discourse of history is indicative of how a new vision for the country is needed. Such a vision considers people as far more of an asset than wealth and capital. A vision that invests in people and their prosperity and not fatten the bellies of a few. Social justice can only be established if the extremes of wealth and poverty are eliminated. That requires a true government by the people and for the people. Just because of the fact that there exist a lot of people in our country that does not diminish their worth. Every human is deserving of education and opportunity. If the USA is unable to do that to its own citizens, who will?
We are getting very close to history repeating itself
We get a better picture of what is happening right now
The soundtrack is so beautiful, worthy of replay! Especially Alva Vanderbilt's :)
good doc...what's clear is things haven't changed, in fact, they are even worse, the rich being richer and the poor being poorer, it's really time for a revolution
Thank you PBS for explaining such complexity in such an understandable way.
when watching this at the end you must remember, these are not good people, all they care about is personal wealth, nothing else.
Regardless, they helped propel the United States to world leadership, and despite many complaints, actually DID better the lives of most of its citizens.
No different to middle class paying off their home. They will lie, cheat, steal and stomp on anyone to make house payments.
The Conservative Republican US Presidents since Ronald Reagan have introduced neo-liberal economic policies dismantling the progressive economic policies of FDR's New Deal and LBJ's Great Society that were in place between the 1930s-1970s, this has recreated the extreme economic inequality of the 1870s-1930s
I'm a retired OTR trucker. Please spare all of us your degenerate and false views on how "wonderful and loving" Democrats are to the working class. As a former OTR truck driver no President and no political party has done more damage to the working class than former President Jimmy Carter of the DEMOCRAT PARTY. Prior to the FMCA act of 1980, brought into law by Carter and the Democrats, truck driving was an excellent job. Unionized rates for truckers was roughly 90%, today it's around 15%. The average pay in 1979 for a company OTR driver (adjusted for 2023 dollars) was roughly $93,000 U.S. per year. No company OTR driver makes anywhere near that amount today. The industry is far less safe today than it was in 1979 because of a so called, and FALSE, "driver shortage". No American and no Canadian with any sense whatsoever wants to be a company OTR driver today where the "rewards" are too little and the risks are much too great. There is no "driver shortage", people simply don't like working for free and being treated like yesterday's garbage. So, how is this driver "shortage" issue resolved? The government brings in low skilled foreign drivers that are more than happy to work for "peanuts" because that's still a vast improvement on whatever hole part of the world that they come from. To save a buck government and the trucking industry are putting all of our lives at unnecessary risk on North American highways and ALL of this was made possible and has come to pass because of your beloved Democrat Party. Not all of us are "asleep at the wheel". The Democrat Party in the United States today is something that needs to be wiped out at the ballot box because in 2023 the left in ALL WESTERN NATIONS are a corrosive cancer destroying western civilization and I'm not only referring to the trucking industry.
odd then that the Democratic Party is no doubt about it the party of the uber rich elite billionaire class right now
People/Parties voting against universal healthcare is crazy. The whole world except war torn countries and the US have it
All institutions of the state have been infiltrated and subverted
I don't think the evidence shows Clinton or Obama improved anything. Both parties are equally guilty, particularly when you consider financialization is likely at the core of the rot, and Wall street contributes colossal amounts to both parties.
May God Bless the USA , as well his Courageous People. Happy New Year 2024 !
Excellent documentary thank you
This reminds me so much of The Saddlesore Boys and this was also such a thought provoking video
Cindy McCain is right we have to work together as a planet . Our problem is the bad actors and spreading ignorance . Humans should not be allowed to lead other humans unless they pass strict psychological tests and are willing to work for a very small salary and live in very modest conditions .
Well worth the time. Thanks.
they were to hungry and cold to care about what genda they wanted to be in those days
Wow, what a story? Amazing.
The birth of modern civil society, economics and social activism. 💪💪 Fascinating! 😎 There are yet social evolutions and cultural upheavals to come that will transform the way modern societies function and organize.
Good morning to you from Kenneth D in Hamilton New Zealand
Hello,Ken! Best wishes for the Holiday Season from Canada.🇨🇦
KZhead allows Americans to learn lessons from history...unfortunate that so many do not take the opportunity...instead, wallowing in ignorance and stupid pursuits...They can deliver a lecture about the Kardashians...but can't tell you anything about labor unions...
Hear, hear ! 😢
The comment section on most newscasts makes me cringe. Nobody knows history anymore. Doom, it is.
That is indeed a hell of a documentary. With that you can understand the American Idea far better.
Muito bom!! From Brasil!
Love the continuous commentary on the evils of capitalism, which seems to be a common theme in post millennial US docuseries.
Capitalism is not necessarily evil, but capitalism unchecked pretty much destroys everything, including the environment. Essentially if humanity won't change it, it will eat itself up within the next 3-4 generations. Maybe faster. As it stands right now, it's not sustainable. Prove me wrong with facts.
More about monopolies
There needs to be one about the evils of Marxism and Communism, the millions and millions of deaths and torture and starvation and corruption that millienials are totally unaware of.
Well done, and extremely valuable for anyone interested in this critical era in US economic, social, and political history!
My truly compliments. State of art documentary.
Fascinating documentary with the March on Washington echoing the occupy Wall Street protests of recent years
There was also the march on Washington during the depression of the 1930s. The breaking up of that was under the command of a certain General McArthur assisted by Major Dwight D. Eisenhower.
I wonder if that guy ever got his hat back.
When the Oligarchic kleptocracy become the system in the US...
This documentary really lays it out in black and white, people have to live lives of misery, poverty, lack of food, people have to starve to death, children have to work, people have to be exploited and suffer in horrific ways, so that the rich can ride around on yachts and change their clothes 6 times a day, if they so wish. I hope, that in a couple of hundred years mankind will have advanced enough to look at these days, 2024 included, as the dark ages, little different from the slave labor seen since antiquity. In the west many people have it better these days. But there are plenty of people in developed countries these days who have to choose between heating or food and whose children go to school without any breakfast. For those people, and there numbers are increasing, things haven't really changed at all.
Sounds like today's America...
Ah. I can see the inspiration for the characters in the series Gilded Age now
The background music and constant ads ruin this, could not continue watching this. Such a pity
Should have tried living in England in that period.
living anywhere in the world in that time wasnt too fun, unless you were wealthy. working conditions were horrible.
In US history! America is a continent composed of 35 American nations.
Thank you very much really Somalia success because am 🇸🇴
thank you...! 👌
It is sickening to think of the massive amounts the VERY rich made and yet the very people who kept it all working were paid so very little...I mean the money these people made was astounding and difference astonishing
An interesting documentary, thanks for uploading. The overall direction of the documentary is critical without considering other, positive economic and social effects. For instance, several other countries also went through accelerated industrialization in the late 19th to early 20th century, e.g., Germany and France. This period saw an unprecedented development in science, public health and governance. The middle class proper came into existence. In the US, industrialization was the key requirement to become a superpower in the 20th and early 21st century. This was accompanied by an unmatched increase in general wealth and life expectancy. BTW - the documentary also explains the historical background of the fictional HBS mini-series "The Guilded Age".
The rise of Germanys war capabilities led to an arms race, and it made possible the devastating wars of the 20th century. These robber barons made fortunes in armaments production and unfettered unregulated industries such as leaded gas which killed many workers and the regulation of which was opposed at every step by the industry. For every plus you mention I can name many downsides.
Only suckers, Think that the(lobbying, to UnderCut workers' Wages)
Love your comparison between the two machines, I’ve just traded in a Z650 RS in that green for the 900 and what a bike. I love your American enthusiasm with your commentary. However If you want twisties come over to the UK then you’ll see proper twisting roads . 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Coxey's army reminds me of the Truckers' protest here in Canada - the leaders now charged with 'mischief' and the elites opposed and the government using extraordinary means to attack the people of Canada.
That's a stretch. The Ottawa protest was about what specifically? Any actual ideas or policies? It wasn't even truckers who organized and financed it.
NOt a stretch at all - despite the years difference - ordinary people protesting government policies and largely organized by a woman whose job was organizing transport for the oil industry in Alberta. Also extremely popular amongst ordinary people. The fact that the only charge they could bring is mischief says a lot.
@@notpurrfect6397 It was about selfish and incredibly self entitled people behaving like spoiled children on bouncy castles.
@@notpurrfect6397Too bad you hadn’t followed all the information that has come out surrounding the truckers’ convoy. There were multiple concerns at issue, multiple strata and demographics involved, and the frustration of having a government so unresponsive to the ardent needs of so may people that neither the PM or any of his cabinet even came out and said one single thing. I can see you are a CBC, CTV follower and didn’t watch any of the commission or learn about the court cases. Too bad you think you have an opinion worth typing.
There needs to be a peoples party now lolol
Vote for RFK.
So nothing's changed then... Band-aid changes and the class divide continues...
An insight into rampant capitalism? :) Very good story. Thank you PBS
Those crazy tall coastal rock formations appear to have doorways. With the current rental crisis, i might just go and live there... No, but seriously, im imagining people throughout the centuries using those rock structures as a kind of foundation to build dwellings. This may or may not have ever happened, but my recent brush with homelessness had me thinking of ways to make a place to stay if i needed. Those rocks would be a contender.
I have to say that I still admire Carnegie above the others here. At least he wanted to analyse his success instead of just thinking G*d was smiling down on him.
2024 situation now is much worse... No doubt.
The situation is worse for the planet, but child mortality rates are much lower & life expectancy is higher.
Such a dope documentary.... I love the history photos😌
Gilded age - rich have all the improvements and inovations making life 10 times better and poor wait decades for free market to trickle down to them. Now - rich and poor have all inovations at same time but they don't make any difference in life quality.
A government of wall street by wall street and for wall street…be invested 😝
Karl Marx would have been right at home in the US in the late 1800s. And very relevant.
About the 54 minute mark. Democracy has never existed in America. To this day, there has only been a perpetuation of different degrees of slavery, and makes the current mindless "democracy" rhetoric intolerably irritating and hypocritical. The whole picture is just sickening. Not a goddamned thing has changed.
Crazy how history puts people up when if still alive, the crowd would probably chop their head.
Depends on the stages of various tech cycles.I.Kant preferred aristocracy (in 18th century). He describes enlightenment as an emancipation. The 1st. 2nd. tech revolutions brought steam and electric engines - changes in material culture, but the 3d and 4th tech revolutions brought TV, computing and Internet - changes in the culture of mind. New technologies bring not only AI and machine learning, but new idea of enlightenment - not only emancipation with the help of "enligters", but self- learning. Wikipedia, e.g. is a sample of a collective self- learning. That is why Bidenomics can work without golden or silver standard, the state = rule of Law could be the 1st class borrower with GDP as a pledge, and democracy is possible because Kantian fears that democracy in under emancipated society will lead to the situation when "every thing wants govern" in contemporary societies transformed into just the opposite fears when nobody wants govern cause everyone emancipated enough to understand that power give not immediate success, possessions and so on, that government is a job, profession, occupation, calling, there a plenty of the other much more paid jobs.
enlightenment as an emancipation isn't much different from trying to remove ourselves from our current systems.
The trouble is a world full of Carnegies would not work. He was a steel baron because he used people to produce a product. We're they well paid? No. Of course not. You look to him as if he were a God, he was an industrialist.
If you go to 1:03 in the doc, you will see that yes, they actually were well paid. But of course, like all people, they want more. What a lot of people fail to see is that if it wasn't for people like the Carnegies, those other people wouldn't even have jobs.
@@kleitosaliagas5668 Sure they would. An economy actually doesn't need rich people like the Carnegies to create jobs. Many economies produce jobs and wealth primarily through a thriving 'middle class.' I have nothing against people becoming wealthy if they use honest means, but the claim that wealthy people are required to create jobs is wrong. More than that, since the first step in creating wealth is creative people, it can be easily argued that concentrating wealth in a relative handful of people prevents many poorer creative people from using their creativity and thereby decreases overall wealth.
I remember hearing that after the steel merger, Carnegie supposedly said "I should have asked for a billion" and Morgan said "I would have paid it."
Wealth from Africa.
Cor-Haghe Ehy isn't their name pronounced when sneaking of the *hall* *Niguea? Lime Ng***?
The photo @ 1:45:38 is perhaps one of the most terrifying photographs of a creepy as hell child I've ever seen. 0_o
Agreed.
That kid was probably wondering what in hell was going on.🖤🇨🇦
Different from what I expected.
Yes, gilded IS tatamount to an economic patina that is collectively STUCK at the top of economic pyramid
20:39 Oh just an intimate gathering. For me and 400 of my richest, I mean closest, friends. In my private ballroom.
❤
same people, different attire !!!!!
*Sigh.* Not much has changed.
Yes it has
Industrialisation is given a bad spin now but for all the misery that concentrated around big cities, humanity's poverty was only less visible before, not 'less' absolutely. The age's changes were certainly a challenge for society to undertand and humanity was slow to mitigate the new miseries of big cities. Many industrialists looked into it. More did not. Humans need a push!
This inequality is still rampant in 2024.
I always thought trickle-down economics was a modern conceit...interesting
It all depends on what you define as modernity. The roots of what we are now were in place during this age. And the problems that gives us is the push and pull between ideas, whose conflicting world view is rooted in the Enlightenment's upturning of early modernity.
The economic philosophy of the U.S government of the 1920s was very similar to that of the 1980s. Although it's not quite the actual quote, it's not all that different, and many Americans in the 1920s believed that President Coolidge said 'the business of America is business.'
During the gilded age it was called Horse and Sparrow economics and it was repackaged in the 1980s as Trickle Down economics.
BOOM OR BUST, I'd say.
All the rich get richer while the poor just get to swallow.
❤🗽🙏🙏🕊️☕In God Sea the courage
Alva 🌹⭐️💜
Well.actually really the bank is depend on for farmers to be fine so you should try to review the economic growth so you weak up in early morning so much so you can do anything
Sad that the minimum wage is still grossly inadequate.
It's an American tradition. Started with the free labour of the slaves.
Rich people are cray.
Now economic is good but ishould encourage you to to fight for corruption it isn't money onl but you should present the workers in early morning that is beautiful for example if they come late today it wasn't good so you should prepare in early morning that is good
thing is, one millionare on the back of many
Some states are turning back child labor laws. One percent plus R is hard at work!
3:30 "4000 richest families in the country, less than 1% of all 11.6 million American families." Nevermind 0.0344% is less than 1% but isn't it a bit off the scale to compare 1/3000 to 1/100?
if system made your rich that's only because the same system made many other soo poor, that's unfair balance which capitalist system is based on for years
Well.actually really we look after the animals because we get more advantage from it.such as butter leather milk meet an other things which I can't conclude in this short time really it needs to get up early morning so much for this position
Well.actually really i would like to encourage with my younger brother and sister and u should try to do a work for every day really you have benefit with yr chance till has waste of time so that we can solve for every day is going to be fine olso business freedom it is good that my advice ❤
Enjoyed watching this, one correction towards the very end that being, America is a republic not a democracy.
Can you define Republic as opposed to Democracy?
@@manasseskamau5327 If you interested here on youtube a video titled "Why The US Is Not A Democracy" channel Second Thought. Also the US pledge is as follows ""I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
The U.S. is a plutocracy. 🤑
@@manasseskamau5327 People say that in order to sound profound or knowledgeable. It's actually meaningless, as you seem to realize. When people actually answer your question it turns out they distinguish between a town democracy where everybody votes (like still goes on in some places in New England) and a representative democracy like with Congress people, which they refer to as a 'republic.' The response I like giving to that is 'I doubt there is a single person in the United States who doesn't know the United States is a representative democracy, so nobody needs to be told this supposed distinction.' I find that response tends to really annoy people who make this pseudo profound comment.
@@AdamTondowsky Thanks a lot, I know America is a representative democracy but some republicans seems obsessed with the pointless "distinction"
the real housewives
and the only difference between then and now? the faces and some of the first names have changed, a lot of the surnames are the same. which says to me, that the new aristocrats are hereditary now. just like the old ones.
Yes the old money is still around, but there are a bunch of new last names too, like Bezos, Musk, Gates…etc. they are no better than the old money.🖤🇨🇦
🇺🇸
Well.actually really I want to tell with my younger brother and sister and if u make more effort about yourself so you will become a rich people olso will reach that level best way really doing a job maybe easily than you think about it isn't enough enough the table that is why we are fine so you weak up in early morning open restaurant supermarket store office really I hope you the best future that is my advice ❤become a rich people
So after the Titanic and how many other known shipwrecks at that time (and previous to that time) they take a chance to literally ship loads of gold back to Europe?! There had to have been a better solution!!
At the time there was no better solution. If you wanted to cross the ocean, a ship was the only way to go.