The Gilded Age: 1876–1912: Overture to the American Century

by Alan Axelrod

A fully illustrated, insightful portrait of this historic time of dramatic economic growth marked by glamorous haves and struggling have-nots.The Gilded Age—the name coined by Mark Twain to refer to the period of rapid economic growth in America between the 1870s and 1900—offers some intriguing parallels to our own time. Bestselling author and historian Alan Axelrod tackles this subject in a fresh way, exploring this intense era in its various dimensions, and looking at also looks at how it presaged our current era, which many are calling the “Second Gilded Age.” Photographs, political cartoons, engravings, news clippings, and other ephemera help bring this fascinating period into focus.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Historical

386 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2017

About the author

Alan Axelrod, Ph.D., is a prolific author of history, business and management books. As of October 2018, he had written more than 150 books, as noted in an online introduction by Lynn Ware Peek before an interview with Axelrod on the National Public Radio station KPCW. Axelrod resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

At times almost too liberal even for me, Axelrod nevertheless makes accurate comparisons of present day America to the often dubious years that were the "Gilded Age." Missouri's Mark Twain coined the term to tag the era of land and cash grabs, American wealth burgeoning to boastful excess on the surface, while underneath lay gross income inequality, racial, social, and gender injustice, and scandals and corruption galore. The Gilded Age also points out the many good things that came out of the years between the Civil War and the Great War, bookended by the centennial exhibition in Philadelphia to the electrified exhibition in Chicago. This first edition needs some polishing, as I read blacks being called "American Americans," that President Taft died before he was born ("1857-1830"), and was referred to previous text with "see pages tk to tk." For me, the book also suffered because I am reading biographies of the presidents, in order, and much of the information I had recently read about elsewhere. Also, the author continuously repeats things he's already said, as if expecting this to be a school textbook, with pages or chapters assigned out of order and context. I found that irritating.

[Noelle Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in addition to reading and teaching my girls about The Gilded Age. It's so much history and much that I'd personally forgotten. It's a very interesting and compelling read with specific chapters on different topics that were big in that time period.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title suggests, the book is a survey of the so-called Gilded Age in American History, generally considered the time between the end of Reconstruction to around the turn of the century, prior to World War I. Axelrod breaks down the period - along with relevant ideas/events prior to and effects immediately thereafter - in content chapters, as opposed to a strict chronology of events beginning in 1876. I found this to be a strength, as it allowed for an easy focus on each chapter, and a connection between relevant historical events for each content sections without becoming overwhelming. Axelrod discusses all the big picture items - the culture; the technology; rights movements related to black Americans, women, and labor; the politics; and the business and economics.

Another advantage of Axelrod presenting his book this way is it makes clear the connections in support of an underlying thesis - the connections and similarities between this period of U.S. History and our contemporary times. While it is easy to look simply at economic inequality - which is what I was initially interested by reading this book - Axelrod's book demonstrates the many similarities for any informed reader.

The layout of the book is part of the experience of reading it as well. It contains many prints of relevant ads, newspaper cartoons, and other print paraphernalia from the relevant period in history. The combination of that with the ornately decorated pages and outlay of the text truly made the book more of an experience to read.

I'm a history guy, so perhaps it score higher for me than others; but I really enjoyed reading this book.

[Rick Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most histories, this suffers somewhat from a lack of personality; that is, it needs to get up close and personal with some of the people who were active in this time. I would, for example, like to have had a better understanding of Theodore Roosevelt--his quirks and tendencies--rather than getting a sense of him as the "Bull Moose" who pushed his agenda through via executive orders, which sounds familiar to us in 2025. Speaking of making connections to the current day, Axelrod has a not-very-subtle subtext in this where he is suggesting that the Gilded Age he is examining was not only characterized by superficiality but by a whole list of other traits, including technological innovation and a quiet confidence in the future, which ended up being a time of socio-political and institutional reform. (Infamously, 1912 put an end to that confidence with the sinking of the Titanic, but that's another story.) He seems to be arguing that our current time is similar, but of course that seems to be a very flimsy argument for a historian to be making. Listen how he concludes this: "Today, near the close of the second decade of the twenty-first century, America seems to have entered a new Gilded Age--an age of technological wonders and enormous wealth, but an age divided between the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans and the rest by a chasm even wider than that of the final quarter of the nineteenth century. Yet more bewildering, distressing, and confounding is the new state of factual truth and moral values, commodities that have become even more fluid than they were a century and a quarter ago, during an age whose very name was coined to convey corruption. Could it be that we, too, are on the verge of reform and rediscovery?" (357). Given the return of Trump to the White House and an America that is effectively doubling down on lying, political self-service, and institutionalized cynicism and corruption, it is impossible to answer that last question with anything other than a derisive snort. To be clear, Axelrod himself seems to anticipate that, given his tendency to raise the Gilded Age--with all its blemishes and errors--even higher than our current time. Listen how he describes the post-Civil War era: "The result was the emergence of an oligarchic class and an unholy alliance between government and business that may be fairly described as the triumph of crony capitalism. Indeed, not until the forty-fifth president stocked his cabinet with billionaires would the United States government flirt so brazenly with outright oligarchy, government by and for those on the topmost rung of the socioeconomic ladder" (305-06). That is not very ambiguous, and it undermines the guarded optimism of his conclusion.
One significant point that Axelrod makes that seems to have been completely missed by the current occupant of the White House is the failure of tariffs to do anything other than protect domestic corporate interests in the short term while angering the consumer. Tariffs, Axelrod states, "are, after all, intended to force significant boosts in the retail price of imports. While they are not taxes levied directly on U.S. consumers, their cost, ultimately, is borne by them in the form of higher prices for goods. Congress, recall, was averse to rocking the boat by offending constituents; also recall, however, that many legislators were in the pocket of big business, and big business favored protectionist tariffs that kept foreign imports out of domestic American markets. When tariffs are high, it is the consumer who pays, and consumers in the Gilded Age resented this mightily" (320). Translating this cogent observation to the current day again, the U.S. market is much more subject to globalized flattening of profits, to the detriment of U.S. producers, which makes it difficult to imagine why anyone would want to introduce tariffs, which will only drive up inflation on anything imported (and these days, what is not?). Add to that the globalization of communication, in which the U.S. citizen has access to enormously more information and should be able to determine how he is being affected by economic policies that seem to be delivered from the executive office by fiat. But there are obvious reasons that tariffs are on the table in 2025: as Axelrod points out, "big business favor[s] protectionist tariffs" and it is clear that legislators have never been more "in the pocket of big business," so all that is necessary to make tariffs the rule of the nation is to convince the public that they are somehow being aided by economic decisions that are only adding to their expenses. That's where the "new state of factual truth and moral values" comes in. It has become laughably easy to convince people that up is down, lies are truth, and tariffs will be beneficial to the consumer. The corruption of the Gilded Age would have continued unabated if there had been no political scientist in the wings, waiting to institute significant reforms for the betterment of America; sadly, we have no Woodrow Wilson at the ready, so the superficial glamor and deep-seated corruption are more than likely to continue. Furthermore, the Gilded Age was also characterized, as Axelrod frequently notes, by an effective and indefatigable press--particularly the editorial cartoonists featured in Puck--who were so good at holding "robber barons" and politicians to account that they were actually feared by some of the more corrupt persons of that time. It need hardly be mentioned that no such fourth estate exists in current American life, again to the detriment of society in general. And, again, there seems to be shockingly little reason to engage in Axelrod's almost sunny conclusion.

[Jeff Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical review, though sometimes i felt the author was using the book to inject his political beliefs more than tell the story, would have liked more background on robber barons and technological developments.

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning achievement from author Alan Axelrod and the New York-based Sterling Publishing Company, especially its designer Lorie Pagnozzi. Both visually (the book packaging and graphics) and in editorial organization and writing, this is one of the finest works of history I've read in 2017 and, arguably, over the past four or five years. Organized in two parts ("People and Things" of the Gilded Age, and "Form and Reform"), it covers the years 1876 to 1912, though much pre-Civil War and even European history is, of necessity, woven into it for context.

One finds the expected chapters covering the likes of Vanderbilt, Morgan, Carnegie and Rockefeller but also interesting and unexpected journeys elsewhere including the literature of the "American Realism" period (chapter 9) and a fascinating look at the marketplace of the Gilded Age - not just Wanamaker's in Philadelphia and Marshall Field's in Chicago, but also the five-and-dime stores launched by the Woolworth brothers and other, similar ventures for the middle- to lower-middle class (chapter 5). Axelrod handles with great sensitivity the plight of African Americans, Native Americans and immigrant populations whose lives stood in stark contrast to the titans and philanthropists of this age in American history. A beautiful and compelling book. It could be used in high school or undergraduate history courses on the period, but is equally enjoyable as a quick and informative read for those who enjoy American history.

[Chris Trumble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this book until the last chapter. This is largely a period of history of which I was previously ignorant. While I did learn a lot from this book, I was put off at the very end. In the last chapter, The author praises President Woodrow Wilson for his progressive policies. Wilson did implement many. But discuss his progressive policies without mentioning his virulent racism is historical whitewashing and journalistic malpractice. African Americans had made significant progress, in the first two decades of the 20th century, gaining some foothold in federal government jobs. Wilson fired nearly all of the African Americans in the federal government. This whitewashing, left me wondering what was whitewashed or glossed over in the parts of the book that covered history I was less familiar with. I think there's probably value in reading this book to gain historical knowledge of the period. But the last chapter leads me to believe it should not be the only book you read on the history of this period.

[Christina Gagliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

A straightforward, interesting look at the Gilded Age from various perspectives (political, economic, literary, etc.). An enjoyable read with some great illustrations. The copy editing was sloppy, which unfortunately always makes me question the credibility of the material.

[Stu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course this lib supports Wilson and Roosevelt as saviors who’s actions led to millions of deaths while trashing Rockefeller, Carnegie, Westinghouse, and every other industry head that streamlined operations, made production more efficient, and better products.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, enthralling and thoroughly engaging examination of the Gilded Age in America. I am already looking forward to rereading it.

[Darren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good survey of the Gilded Age. Didn't care for it being filtered through the Cultural Marxist lens though. Everything is class, gender, and race with the modern progressive.

[Paulette Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the Gilded Age and a lovely, aesthetically pleasing read.

[Damien A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Densely packed with info

[Janta · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting overview of the Gilded Age, which the author defines as 1876-1912. He doesn't go into great depth with any subject, but covers the overall themes and major events of the era. If you're interested in that time span, it's a good read.

I did deduct a star --and maybe this is unfair -- because the formatting of the ebook copy was not great. At the end of every chapter there was a photo that was very clearly meant to connect to the following chapter, and there were many large pull-quotes that repeated a sentence on the same page. I expect this looked different in the print edition, but in this ePub edition it was a bit annoying. Also several of the photo captions had slight typos or other text issues.