The USA: economic rise and domestic policy

After the Civil War (1861–1865) a single home market took shape in the USA and slavery was abolished. Industry grew fast thanks to a large territory and mineral wealth, low military spending because of weak neighbours, 25 million immigrants arriving in 1870–1914, enterprise and new technology. From 4th place in industrial output in 1860 the USA reached 1st place in 1894. Trusts appeared: Rockefeller’s Standard Oil dominated oil, and in 1901 Morgan set up the United States Steel Corporation. In farming machines replaced hand labour, and farmland rose from 160 to 352 million hectares in 1860–1910. In the South after slavery ended, an 1870 constitutional amendment forbade restricting the vote because of race, but later the violence of the Ku Klux Klan grew and Black citizens’ rights were restricted. In politics a two-party system of Democrats (1828) and Republicans (1854) took root.