Notes on The Politics of the Gilded Age (1877-1900)

Gilded Age

A period (1877-1900) marked by surface-level wealth masking underlying political weakness, social tension, and government inactivity, coined by Mark Twain.

Laissez-faire economics

An ideology favoring minimal government intervention in the economy and business.

Limited government

The belief that government should regulate business and society as little as possible, leading to a 'do-little' approach to regulation.

Patronage

The practice of awarding government jobs and favors to political supporters, family, and friends, often contributing to political corruption or inertia.

Political Stalemate

A condition during the Gilded Age where major political parties were evenly matched and often unable to enact significant reforms.

Compromise of 1877

The agreement that ended Reconstruction, leading to Rutherford B. Hayes' presidency and a retreat from federal protection of civil rights in the South, marking a shift towards political inactivity.

Rutherford B. Hayes

The U.S. President whose election, following the Compromise of 1877, marked the beginning of the Gilded Age's political stalemate and governmental inactivity.

Mark Twain

The author who coined the term 'Gilded Age' in 1873 to describe the era's superficial glitter of new wealth.

Alliance Songster (1890)