Title: Industrialization, Urbanization, and Immigration - nashennSSpraxis 12
Headings: Industrialization, Urbanization, and Immigration
Industrialization, Urbanization, and Immigration
Content: Consequences of Rapid Urbanization
On the positive side, urbanization brought new jobs, new opportunities, new housing, and new transportation; but on the negative side, urbanization gave rise to widespread urban poverty, sub-standard housing, environmental degradation, increasing crime and violence, violent clashes between labor and management, and political corruption. Housing problems… Urbanization in the late 1800s was especially bad in New York City. Crime: crimes against persons, crimes against property, crimes agains societal morality
Environmental degradation
Political corruption, patronage, and the "well-greased" political machine
The Democratic Party bribed the state legislature to pass laws that increased the power of the city to tax, borrow, and spend. Then a leader built public support by spending tax funds on various charities, helping the poor, and funding construction projects. The poor and those receiving jobs and construction contracts, in turn, were expected to vote for the politicians. When helping construction businesses, city governors expected kick backs from the already inflated construction budgets, as well as votes. It all worked like a well-greased machine. When a machine amassed great power - as it did in New York City, it would often have a well-known boss.