Homes of the Gilded Age elite were nothing short of spectacular. Gilded Age plutocrats considered them the perfect employees for their sweatshops, where working conditions were dangerous and workers endured long periods of unemployment, wage cuts and no benefits. Many immigrants were unskilled and willing to work long hours for little pay. Heating, lighting, sanitation and medical care were poor or nonexistent, and millions died from preventable disease. Housing was limited, and tenements and slums sprung up nationwide. Most cities were unprepared for rapid population growth.
READ MORE: Photos Reveal Shocking Conditions of Tenement Slums in Late 1800s In fact, it was wealthy tycoons, not politicians, who inconspicuously held the most political power during the Gilded Age. But the Gilded Age had a more sinister side: It was a period where greedy, corrupt industrialists, bankers and politicians enjoyed extraordinary wealth and opulence at the expense of the working class. During this era, America became more prosperous and saw unprecedented growth in industry and technology.
The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today was a famous satirical novel by Mark Twain set in the late 1800s, and was its namesake. “The Gilded Age” is the term used to describe the tumultuous years between the Civil War and the turn of the twentieth century.
