Welcome to 'The Gilded Age' 2.0

              What, you may ask was The Gilded Age?

The Gilded Age is the term used to describe the tumultuous years between the Civil War and the turn of the 20th century. It was a wild period characterized by rapid economic growth and social and political changes.

Fun fact. The term Gilded Age itself was popularized by Mark Twain's 1873 novel. The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, which satirized the era's materialism and political corruption. 

Political corruption. That's a good segue to today's version of The Gilded Age 2025. 

The 19th century was a period of greed and guile: of Robber Barons, unscrupulous speculators, and corporate buccaneers, of shady business practices, scandal-plagued politics, and vulgar display.

That's still the way things are today in the 21st century. Trump is a convicted felon, but he's also the president of the United States. His love of gaudy golden decorations has transformed the White House into a Robber Barron's headquarters. 

In the first Gilded Age, organized labor was militant and often successful. Today organized labor is in decline. Both eras are marked by rising inequality and decline in well-being. The parallels between the two American Gilded Ages go beyond inequality.

The list is long: ineffective presidents, partisan stalemate, fee-based governance, identity politics, mass immigration and reaction, corruption, rapid technological change, environmental crisis, and claims of white supremacy.

Our current Gilded Age is Trumpian, but it draws its fuel from a much lengthier and more complicated era that began in the late 1970s and runs to the present.

Both periods saw rising populism and movements challenging the established order, though the specific ideologies differ. Interestingly the first Gilded Age opposed the wealthy elite, whereas today's populism, in some forms, has elected billionaires who are seen aligning with the rich.

Immigration and changing demographics have led to social anxieties and shifts in the standing of various groups in both eras. Today Trump's draconian deportation push has caused havoc throughout the country.

Back in the first Gilded Age, just like today, grand parties have come to symbolize the excessive wealth of an outrageously unequal era. As I'm writing this article Trump plans on building a grand ballroom next to the White House. Design plans show golden trim and accents everywhere.

I could go on, but I think it's time to wrap this up with a quote by one of the robber barons, Cornelius Vanderbilt, that would also summerize Trump's attitude:

"What I care about law? H'aint I got power?"

As it Stands, I guess history does have a way of repeating itself but it's sad that we don't seem to have learned anything since the original Gilded Age.