The Indicator from Planet Money Gilded Age 2.0? (Encore)
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Dec 30, 2025 
Edward T. O'Donnell and Rebecca Edwards, historians specializing in the Gilded Age, delve into the parallels between the late 19th century and today. They discuss how rapid industrialization and urbanization shaped daily life and the economy. Wealth inequality, labor unrest, and political corruption are strikingly similar to current issues. Both guests ponder if we are witnessing a second Gilded Age and raise concerns about AI's potential to displace jobs, while also contemplating the need for a new Progressive Era to address these challenges.
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Birth Of Modern Industrial America
- The Gilded Age was the birth of modern America with huge industrial and technological leaps.
- Rapid change created new industries, cities, and transformed work rhythms and time discipline.
Explosive Growth And Global Rise
- Between 1870 and 1900 the U.S. population doubled and industry scaled into gigantic factories and national railroads.
- By 1900 the U.S. moved from a middling economy into the world's leading industrial power.
Growth With Deep Inequality
- The Gilded Age expanded the middle class but left millions behind and produced stark wealth concentration.
- Workers faced exploitation, dangerous conditions, and frequent violent labor conflicts.