AP U.S. History Flashcards: The Rise of Industrial Capitalism
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 11 cards to help you master important concepts.
What was the relationship between technological change, communication networks, and industrial production during this period?
Massive technological change and expanding communication networks accompanied large-scale industrial production, helping to generate rapid economic development.
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What was the relationship between technological change, communication networks, and industrial production during this period?
Massive technological change and expanding communication networks accompanied large-scale industrial production, helping to generate rapid economic development.
A railroad company expands by taking over smaller lines and organizing them under a single corporate entity to control pricing. What Gilded Age practice is this an example of?
This is an example of business consolidation, where corporations were formed into large trusts and holding companies to increase profits and market control.
Define 'business consolidation' in the late 19th century.
It was the practice of combining corporations into large trusts and holding companies, a strategy used by business leaders to increase profits.
Identify the specific regions where U.S. businesses sought to expand their influence and control.
Businesses increasingly looked to gain influence and control over markets and resources in the Pacific Rim, Asia, and Latin America.
Why did U.S. businesses begin to look outside the nation's borders during this period?
Businesses looked internationally to gain greater influence and control over markets and natural resources.
What were trusts and holding companies in the context of late 19th-century industrial capitalism?
They were financial and management structures used by business leaders to consolidate corporations, increase profits, and concentrate wealth.
Identify the key factors that generated rapid economic development from 1865 to 1898.
Rapid economic development was generated by large-scale industrial production, massive technological change, expanding communication networks, and pro-growth government policies.
A factory owner implements new management techniques and invests in new advertising strategies to sell more products. This reflects what broader trend of the era?
This reflects the trend of businesses using redesigned management structures and marketing advances to dramatically increase production and profits.
What was the primary socioeconomic effect of the consolidation of corporations into large trusts?
The formation of trusts and holding companies further concentrated wealth among a small group of business leaders.
What was the role of government policies in the economic boom from 1865 to 1898?
Government policies were 'pro-growth,' which actively supported and generated rapid economic development and business consolidation.
What methods did businesses use to dramatically increase the production of goods?
Businesses used redesigned financial and management structures, advances in marketing, and a growing labor force to increase production.