Steven J. Diner
Autor/a de A Very Different Age: Americans of the Progressive Era
Obres de Steven J. Diner
Universities and Their Cities 1 exemplars
Etiquetat
Coneixement comú
- Gènere
- male
Membres
Ressenyes
Estadístiques
- Obres
- 6
- Membres
- 105
- Popularitat
- #183,191
- Valoració
- 3.9
- Ressenyes
- 1
- ISBN
- 8
Then, as now, individuals were concerned about the enormous wealth and power vested in the hands of a few through vertical and horizontal integration of companies. The gulf between rich and poor was expanding, and the individual developed a sense of helplessness. Then, however, there was more trust in the ability of government to control and create a more equitable environment. They were less cynical. The myth of laissez-faire as a solution for all was beginning to crumble. Corporations suffered from ruinous competition and combined to protect themselves by eliminating competitors. The general opinion of many was that government might re-empower citizens. Woodrow Wilson once remarked (1912) that men no longer worked for themselves but were now employees. As companies grew larger, the need for managerial expertise and the development of systems became crucial to the success of corporations. In the past, the foreman had accrued enormous managerial power: he hired and fired, determined pay scales — often arbitrarily — and assigned work loads. No longer.
Engineers initiated time clocks and pay rates and even allocated the tools that were to be used for each job. Frederick Taylor's [b:Principles of Scientific Management|958259|The Principles of Scientific Management|Frederick Winslow Taylor|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179804247s/958259.jpg|943169] became the Bible of the new managerial class. Workers lost all autonomy. Taylor showed how higher productivity and a more uniform product could bring increased wages, but his theories were often bitterly opposed. Many managers complained, too, as their jobs became more regimented. A form of welfare capitalism was tried by some firms to create a stable work force and to prevent "radicalism." They offered day care, libraries, benefits, and higher wages for their employees (see Hickam’s description of Coalwood in [b:Rocket Boys|96642|Rocket Boys|Homer H. Hickam|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171345733s/96642.jpg|1068585] for an example).
Better postal service was devastating to local stores (shades of e-shopping?). It had been the practice for farmers to come into town and pick up mail at the general store. Now they could order through the mail and have purchases delivered directly to them. In some communities, Sears’ and Wards’ catalogs were burned publicly.
Sorry for the somewhat staccato nature of this review; it mirrors the book. Nevertheless, given my penchant for assimilating lots of facts related to cultural change, this book was great.… (més)