When I teach about the late nineteenth century in my US history course, I always make a point to ask students if we’re living in a new Gilded Age. Before answering, students read several articles on the subject and are asked to weigh in on the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Thomas Picketty is the strongest voice on the yes side, arguing that the reconcentration of wealth today looks a lot like it did in what he calls the BelleEpoche. On the other side of the spectrum are historians like Heath W. Carter, author of Union Made: Working People and the Rise of Social Christianity in Chicago, who argues that the biggest reason why this is not a new Gilded Age is because the American people aren’t mobilizing against capital in the same way they did at the turn of the twentieth century. He asks: What...
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