Part two- 1890 to 1920 American Society
- Created by: H@r/3y
- Created on: 02-09-20 18:02
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- 1890 to ww1 society transformed- pop increased and moved; rural to urban/region to region
- social attitudes changed
- social changed shaped by Atlantic migration
- +18million euro immigrants came adding to millions arrived after CW
- migrants- changed by experiences of settling in a new society also changed US
- immigration=symptom and cause of dynamic expansion to US econ
- many were econ. migrants promised of a better life and of work in US-provided vast pool of labour and domestic consumers to fuel econ. boom
- most =urban dwellers
- were in a sense passive victims of urbansisation
- new cities -shaped by cultural identities of migrants, took on character of inhabitants (sights, sounds,cooking smells) eg. Little Italy NY/ Polish Triangle Chicago
- impact of immigration & rapid urbanisation = positive and productive - fuelled econ growth, add cultural richness
- also tension and divisions by new and older settlers
- widening divisions between city and countryside/ N & S/ wets and drys
- growth of power and prosperity accompanied by social upheavals
- 1890 and ww1= 18.4million immigrants
- continued to come from germany/scandi/GB but new wave mostly austria-hungary/s Italy and Russian empire, many were jews (1/3 of jews in Russia and E euro. emigrated)
- push factors: poverty and hunger (Italy), persecution (policy of russification, Tsarist Russia under alexander III after 1881)
- pull factors: land of riches and freedom, join previously established communitites
- 1890-1914 push and pull factors=strong
- improvements to transport and communication helped migration
- ships=bigger and faster with departure ports in Bremen, Hamburg, Liverpool
- 1890 immigration centre Castle Garden, NY couldn't cope and closed - new one on Ellis Island opened 1892
- not all came to stay, nearly 1/3 returned
- rate of return varied between communities; 20% scandis returned, 60% italians, 3% Russian Jews=show different motives behind emigrations
- 80% italians were male-came to work to send money home to family
- Jews most came as family for permanent life- 50% female and 25% kids
- jews were poor but not bad educated- 1908-12, 80% of men & 63% women were literate
- 2/3 jewish men counted selves as skilled compared to 16% of italians
- immigration was important to shape us society
- assimilating large numbers from diverse BG=challenge to social cohesion- which were intensified by accelerating rate of urbanisation
- US transformed by urbanisation pace, 1870-ww1
- until 1920 most Americans lived/worked on land than cities
- 1890-1914 urbanisation pace-unrelenting
- urban skyline-everchanging, new taller buildings
- construction boom= new commercial and civic buildings, vast quantities of housing, tramways, elevated railway
- cities were crowded, noisy, constantly movement, large buildings, econ. activity
- urbani. accelerated spread of advertising & modern mass entertainment
- theatres and music halls for masses and elite
- film industry began to develop from small cinemas 'nickelodeons'
- industrial/urban/immigration = not evenly spread
- N/E = most dynamic growth
- urbanisation not only in great industrial cities-transformed small town US with street lights, trams, civic buildings, public utilities to towns of 5-30k (Belleville, Illinois)
- in large cities, districts like small towns themselves
- increase in urban pop driven by immigration
- 1900 pop was 76 million, to be 100 mill in 1920
- birth rate of us declined…
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