What were the major changes in political life in Europe from the 1870s to the 1890s?

What were the major changes in political life in Europe from the 1870s to the 1890s?
Marshall Field's Building, ca. 1898.

Between 1880 and 1900, cities in the United States grew at a dramatic rate. Owing most of their population growth to the expansion of industry, U.S. cities grew by about 15 million people in the two decades before 1900. Many of those who helped account for the population growth of cities were immigrants arriving from around the world. A steady stream of people from rural America also migrated to the cities during this period. Between 1880 and 1890, almost 40 percent of the townships in the United States lost population because of migration.

Industrial expansion and population growth radically changed the face of the nation's cities. Noise, traffic jams, slums, air pollution, and sanitation and health problems became commonplace. Mass transit, in the form of trolleys, cable cars, and subways, was built, and skyscrapers began to dominate city skylines. New communities, known as suburbs, began to be built just beyond the city. Commuters, those who lived in the suburbs and traveled in and out of the city for work, began to increase in number.

Many of those who resided in the city lived in rental apartments or tenement housing. Neighborhoods, especially for immigrant populations, were often the center of community life. In the enclave neighborhoods, many immigrant groups attempted to hold onto and practice precious customs and traditions. Even today, many neighborhoods or sections of some of the great cities in the United States reflect those ethnic heritages.

During the final years of the 1800s, industrial cities, with all the problems brought on by rapid population growth and lack of infrastructure to support the growth, occupied a special place in U.S. history. For all the problems, and there were many, the cities promoted a special bond between people and laid the foundation for the multiethnic, multicultural society that we cherish today.

To find additional sources in Loc.gov on this general topic, use such keywords as city, neighborhood, immigration, industry, urbanization, transportation, suburbs, slums, tenements, and skyscrapers.

Documents

  • Ben Dickstein
  • The Ginsbergs
  • Harry Reece (Daca) . . . His Story
  • Mr. Paul's Story
  • Suburban Living
    • Horse-drawn street car
    • Up the hill by trolley, Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Glenn Ellynn [i.e. Glen Ellyn], Ill., a suburban residence
    • Greenwood, a suburban residence, Savannah, Ga.
  • Vertical Growth of the American City
    • The Park Row Building, New York
    • The Tallest buildings in the world, New York City
    • A Group of skyscrapers, Pittsburgh, Pa.
    • New York Life Building, Chicago
    • State Street, Chicago, Ill.
  • Industrial Cities
    • Solvay Process Co.'s works, Syracuse [i.e. Solvary]
    • Globe Iron Works ship yard, Cleveland
    • Illinois Steel Works & harbor entrance, Calumet Riv., So. Chicago
    • Illinois Steel Works, Joliet

Part of

  • Primary Source Sets
  • Lesson Plans
  • Presentations

Additional Navigation

  • Teachers Home

    The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching.

  • Analysis Tool & Guide

    To help your students analyze these primary sources, get a graphic organizer and guides.

Recommended textbook solutions

What were the major changes in political life in Europe from the 1870s to the 1890s?

U.S. History

1st EditionJohn Lund, Paul S. Vickery, P. Scott Corbett, Todd Pfannestiel, Volker Janssen

567 solutions

What were the major changes in political life in Europe from the 1870s to the 1890s?

America's History for the AP Course

9th EditionEric Hinderaker, James A. Henretta, Rebecca Edwards, Robert O. Self

961 solutions

What were the major changes in political life in Europe from the 1870s to the 1890s?

The American Nation, Volume 2

9th EditionPrentice Hall

865 solutions

What were the major changes in political life in Europe from the 1870s to the 1890s?

By the People: A History of the United States, AP Edition

James W. Fraser

496 solutions

What was happening in Europe in 1870s?

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 is widely acknowledged to have been a cause of intense political, social and cultural conflict, a shaping element in modern French and German nationalism, and a significant factor in international tensions prior to 1914.

How did Europe change after 1871?

The years between 1871 and 1914 brought liberal progress in England, social welfare in Germany, imperial expansion throughout the world, the spread of European civilization, and economic strengthening of England, Germany, the United States, and Japan.

What was happening in the 1890s in Europe?

In 1890 there was the Triple Alliance which was an agreement among Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy to help each other under certain circumstances. The Germans also had a secret Re-Insurance Treaty with Russia to ensure that they never had to fight a war on two fronts.

What two events were major turning points in the political development of Europe?

Developments in 19th-century Europe are bounded by two great events. The French Revolution broke out in 1789, and its effects reverberated throughout much of Europe for many decades. World War I began in 1914.