Lassez-faire is The theory or system of government that upholds the autonomous character of the economic order, believing that government should intervene as little as possible in the direction of economic affairs.
In the early American Industrial age of the later 1800s and early 1900s, the government did not care about businesses and working conditions as long as they were making money. Child labor, poor working conditions, long hours and low pay helped owners make big profit. Owners wanted just to make money. This hands off policy by the government resulted in weak democracy for workers. Ordinary working people did not have any power; owners had all the power. People had to create a labor union to fight for power. The time period in the early 1900s from Teddy Roosevelt to Woodrow Wilson was known as the “Progressive Era” because American society was making progress towards better equality. Throughout the 1920s workers continued fighting for their rights while the owners continued getting wealthy. a turning point came when the stock market crashed in October 1929
