It was...but only for a select few. The ones who made all the big money off it it. Meanwhile, the people who had to work here, while they could put food on their table and own a home, were destined for a life of health issues and a painful coughing spiral at the end of it.
Yep. It was also known as the age of the robber barrons. There were 5 depressions and 15 recessions from 1870-1913. The Federal Reserve was established in 1913 to break the vicious boom and bust cycle. Trump hates the Fed.
I'd say we are in a Second Age of the Robber Barons. And people are so numbed down that we just accept it and move on, as long as we have our social media, cheap fast food and Netflix.
Add in the rise of fascism.
Horrifically, that too.