H.W. Brands on the Rise of American Capitalism

A discussion with the prize-winning UT Austin historian H.W. Brands, author of American Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism, 1865-1900. "Capitalism burst forth with an energy and thoroughness that made the final third of the nineteenth century the era of America's capitalist revolution. The revolution transformed American finance, turning Wall Street into the hub of investment and speculation and New York the budding capital of world finance. The capitalist revolution reshaped the larger economy, converting America from a nation of farmers into a country of urban workers, managers and professionals. It recast American geography, pulling the recently feudal South into the web of capitalist commerce and exploiting the natural resources of the West. It altered American politics, injecting money into elections as never before and making the nurturing of American business the principal agenda of the dominant Republican party."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• history
• united states
• economic
• discussion
• politics
• capitalism
• gilded age
• economy
• trade
• commerce
• UT Austin
• H.W. Brands
• American Colossus