The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era are periods that played an important role in the development of society American. The Gilded Age is a period in American history between 1870 and 1900. The term was coined by Mark Twain in the late 1800s. What he meant was that this period was brilliant on the surface but corrupt underneath (" Learn about the Golden Age"). The Gilded Age is well known for its political scandals and extravagant displays of wealth. At the same time, it was an era of major achievements in industry and the economy, which significantly changed the lives of the American people. The Gilded Age was followed by the Progressive Era which lasted from the 1890s to the 1920s. Progressive Era is well known for its economic, political, social reforms and technological inventions. In my opinion, the Gilded Age had a more significant impact on the United States than the Progressive Era because it gave rise to new industries, created transportation and communication networks that provided the infrastructure necessary for the further development of technology in the Progressive Era. The most important achievements of the Gilded Age were the creation of a network of railroads, including the Transcontinental Railroad, which connected the United States from New York to California, facilitating transportation across the continent. During the Gilded Age, the length of all railways combined tripled ("Second Industrial Revolution"). This was important not only because it reduced travel time from the east to the west of the United States and vice versa from months to weeks and allowed people to settle in the central United States , but also opened new areas to commercial agriculture and provided an economic boost. to steel...... middle of paper ...... .4. Hyser, Raymond et al., eds. American anthem. 2004. Print. “Learn more about the Golden Age. » Digital history. Np, January 3, 2010. Web. February 27, 2010. .5. Perry, Elisabeth Israels and Karen Manners Smith. The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era: A Student Companion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.6. "Phonograph." The Edison Papers. Np, and Web. February 15, 2010. .7. Sawinksi, Christine, Diane Sawinski and Julie L Carnagie. American Decades. Illus. Dean Dauphinais. Comp. and trans. Evi Seoud. Ed. Elizabeth Anderson. Np: Thomson Gale, 2003. Print.8. “Second industrial revolution”. Wapedia. Np, and Web. February 27. 2010. .