Big Business and Labor Quiz

Laissez faire and Social Darwinism were crucial ideologies during the 19th century. Laissez faire means "allowed," as in big business owners were allowed to treat employees however they wanted because there were no laws against it. Since there were no laws against it there was nothing that laborers could do about it, so they started to create unions. Social Darwinism was an ideology that the wealthy were rich because they worked hard for it and the poor were poor because they don't work hard or smart enough. This had the effect on the laborers that being treated with poor conditions and wages was their fault. Carnegie also believed that there was nothing he could do to make the poor not poor anymore and that it was their own fault. The business ideologies had the effect on the laborers to create unions to try to get better overall working conditions.