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

Episoder(361)

The Mysterious Rise of Major Injuries in Professional Sports

The Mysterious Rise of Major Injuries in Professional Sports

Sign up for the Derek Thompson newsletter. In Game 7 of this year's NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in the first quarter while attempting to drive to the basket o...

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How Abundance Won in California

How Abundance Won in California

The California housing crisis is a disaster and an emergency. Housing construction per capita has steadily fallen in the last few decades, while home prices, rent, and homeless rates have all soared. ...

3 Jul 202559min

What's Next for the Middle East: War, Peace, or Revolution?

What's Next for the Middle East: War, Peace, or Revolution?

Sign up for Derek Thompson's Substack here! Donald Trump rose to power in the Republican Party as a critic of the neoconservative tradition and was opposed to war in the Middle East. But after weeks ...

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NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani on Abundance, Socialism, and How to Change a Mind

NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani on Abundance, Socialism, and How to Change a Mind

Before today’s show, a personal announcement. After almost 17 years at The Atlantic, I have just officially moved my writing full time to Substack, the newsletter platform. If you like this show, if y...

23 Jun 202541min

A Grand, Unified Theory of Why Americans Are So Unhealthy

A Grand, Unified Theory of Why Americans Are So Unhealthy

Americans are unusually overweight and chronically ill compared to similarly rich countries. This episode presents a grand, unified theory for why that's the case. Our food environment has become sign...

18 Jun 202538min

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 ...

11 Jun 202551min

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...

4 Jun 20251h 6min

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...

30 Mai 20251h 2min

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