Plain History: The Gilded Age

Plain History: The Gilded Age

Corruption. Class wars. Technological splendor. The dawn of a new age of business and government. Rockefeller and Carnegie. The Gilded Age in America—roughly the 1870s through the early 1900s—was one of the most fascinating and misunderstood eras in our history. It seems like every week, news organizations claim that the U.S. is in a new Gilded Age. But what does that mean? What was the Gilded Age? Today’s guest is Richard White, award-winning historian and author of ‘The Republic for Which It Stands,’ a mammoth history of America between the end of the Civil War and the end of the 19th century. We talk about how corruption and monopoly and power worked during that period. We talk about Rockefeller and Carnegie and Morgan, and how these giants typified the era with their business genius and their thin sense of morality. We talk about how the monopolies of this era used the government, and the government used these monopolies. And we talk about how the movements that emerged from the Gilded Age invented the modern world. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Richard White Producer: Devon Baroldi P.S. If you live in Seattle, Atlanta, or the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, Derek is coming your way in March! See him live at book events in your city. Tickets here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Why Are Americans So Unhealthy? Part I: Is Ultra-Processed Food Killing Us?

Why Are Americans So Unhealthy? Part I: Is Ultra-Processed Food Killing Us?

Americans die younger and faster than the residents of almost every other rich country. Why? There's gun violence, drug overdoses, and car crashes. Young people are much more likely to die from these ...

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What Experts Really Think About Smartphones and Mental Health

What Experts Really Think About Smartphones and Mental Health

I'm very concerned about the relationship between smartphone use and America's mental health crisis. But many researchers don't see things my way. They insist that there is little to no empirical data...

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Plain History: How Adolf Hitler Destroyed German Democracy in Six Months

Plain History: How Adolf Hitler Destroyed German Democracy in Six Months

In November 1932, Germany was a republic. By the spring of 1933, it was a dictatorship. How did it all happen so quickly? Fascination with Adolf Hitler requires no news peg, but I’ve been particularl...

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Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill Is Great for the "Stealthy Wealthy"

Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill Is Great for the "Stealthy Wealthy"

The tax and spending bill passed by House Republicans last week is the sort of bill that does so many different things that even budget experts could be forgiven for not realizing just how many differ...

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The Gene-Editing Breakthrough That Saved a Baby’s Life

The Gene-Editing Breakthrough That Saved a Baby’s Life

Last year, Kyle and Nicole Muldoon welcomed their baby KJ into the world. Almost immediately, doctors realized something was wrong. KJ had been born with a genetic mutation that made it impossible to ...

23 Touko 202549min

The Rules of Attraction and the Psychology of Romance

The Rules of Attraction and the Psychology of Romance

Psychology is hard, even when you’re just trying to understand what’s going on with one impossibly complex person. Romance psychology is particularly hard because you’re trying to understand what’s go...

20 Touko 20251h 3min

Plain History: How Norman Borlaug Stopped the Apocalypse

Plain History: How Norman Borlaug Stopped the Apocalypse

In every generation, important people predict that the end is near and the apocalypse is coming. In the 1960s, the fear was that population growth would destroy the planet—that fertility would outrun ...

16 Touko 20251h 8min

Why Do Americans Pay So Much for Drugs?

Why Do Americans Pay So Much for Drugs?

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order telling drugmakers to slash the prices of their medicines. Once again, the president showed an amazing nose for interesting questions. Stati...

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