Part I: Monopoly and Upheaval, 1877-1914

The post-Civil War era in the U.S., following the end of Reconstruction in 1877, marked a shift from issues of slavery to widespread conflict arising from industrial capitalism. The United States rapidly became the world's leading industrial nation by World War I, experiencing massive manufacturing growth, increased global influence (e.g., U.S. domination of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Cuba, and Hawaii), and significant demographic changes due to immigration and urbanization.

This growth led to unprecedented wealth for some and economic dependency for many, particularly for wage-laborers across the U.S. and its territories. Society became sharply divided between industrial capitalists, who advocated for acquisitive individualism and free markets, and the working class (including African Americans, native-born whites, and diverse immigrants), who embraced collectivity and mutual action against the harsh realities of industrial capitalism. These divisions fueled numerous violent class conflicts, such as Haymarket (1886), Homestead (1892), and Pullman (1894), often animated by radical ideologies like populism, feminism, anarchism, and socialism.

However, the problems caused by capitalist excesses, including labor struggles and tragic industrial accidents, fostered a wider belief in the need for reform. This conviction gave rise to progressivism, a movement often led by women, which advocated for government intervention to regulate social, economic, and political issues. Progressives successfully tackled child labor, factory safety, and political corruption, and women pushed for suffrage. Despite these gains, the movement largely failed to address the systemic challenges faced by African Americans. Ultimately, progressivism established a new precedent for the federal government's role in ensuring economic stability and the basic safety and health of its citizens, a role that became increasingly important as international crises loomed.