DBQ 13 During the Gilded Age, the 30 year time period after the Civil War, America as a country began to shift in ways of life and political beliefs. The industrial revolution began with an increase in railroads, telegraph, steel, oil, and more. As a shift from the previous agricultural based time period before the civil war to manufacturing, farmers are feeling the direct impact of this economic shift. During this time, the economic disputes, political imbalances, and social shifts explains why farmers were discontent with the nations politics. As a result, the number of farmers in the US declined, the Farmers Alliance was created, and a new third party known as the Populist party arose.