The era of the weak state THE WEAK STATE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The era of the weak state THE WEAK STATE - Essay Example The fourteenth amendment (1868) that protected equality of all citizens before law and the fifteenth amendment (1870) that imparted voting rights to all were also partially circumvented in a similar manner by the South (Henretta and Brody, 440-456). All these had a negative and weakening effect on the consolidating process undertaken by the new state. The period, 1865 to 1890, on the contrary, was the era of agricultural growth, industrialization and urbanization but of course with environmental costs (Henretta and Brody, 430-446). And towards the end of the era of the ‘weak state’, that is between 1877 and 1900, the US began to grow into a full-fledged industrial nation (Henretta and Brody, 462). If it was the feudal social establishment that acted as a weakening element for the state during 1860s and 70s, towards 1900, the emerging corporate industries took over the same task. It is observed that the new America that emerged in 1900 was â€Å"a land of factories, corporate enterprise and industrial workers† (Henretta and Brody, 462). A market of mass dimensions and a wide consumer base grew (Henretta and Brody, 497). Infrastructure facilities were also developed to great extent thereby helping industry to grow better (Henretta and Brody, 495-497). The decades that preceded and succeeded 1900 saw an influx of immigrants from Europe culminating in thoughts about restricting the same and also extreme urbanization (Henretta and Brody, 502-585). On the political front, the era of the ‘weak state’ is marked by the people getting highly mobilized as political pressure groups but all the same, the government being the weakest in the US history in terms of power and national pride (Henretta and Brody, 600-606). Slowly, as the two-party system emerged, the possibility of a third voice was suppressed and a common understanding was arrived at to maintain the ‘weak state’ so as to further the capitalist society and its