How did industrial workers and farmers react to new economic conditions from 1870 to 1900? Discuss how their reactions were similar and how they were different.

In the years between 1870 and 1897 many farmers lost their farms, while others struggled to make ends meet. In that period, the prices of crops dropped steadily. Wheat fell from $106 per bushel to $63 per bushel; corn fell from $43 per bushel to $29 per bushel; and cotton fell from fifteen cents a pound to five cents a pound. At the same time the costs of operating a farm remained constant or increased. These costs included shipping rates, interest on loans, and the cost of machinery and other needed commodities. The main reason prices of crops continued to drop was that there was an oversupply of grains on the market, with too many farmers producing too much of the same crops.

Most farmers were not aware of how large the oversupply was. They blamed the railroad companies, the bankers, and the grain elevator operators for the high costs of farming and getting their product to market. Farmers especially despised the railroads, which charged far higher rates in the West than in the East. Railroad executives explained that it was more expensive to run their trains in the West, but the farmers saw the railroad owners getting very rich while they were barely making a living.

ogorwyne ogorwyne · Answer 2 · 2022-01-13T13:36:49+01:00

The industrial workers and farmers responded to the new economic conditions similarly by:

Forming organizations as they clamored to have their voices heard.
They also tried to influence various political parties in the country that would help to get their needs met in the national legislation.

They responded differently in the following ways:

The farmers created what was the populist movement.
The railroad workers and industrialists made the fall of farmers.
The industrial workers made use of strikes actions against the economic conditions.