Rail transportation in Urcea: Difference between revisions

The explosive growth of railroad corporations during the latter part of the 19th century created significant economic and political problems in Urcea. Many newly wealthy men were created in a few decades, and the continual opportunity to expand Urcea's railroad network in the 1870s and 1880s promised to create significant more wealth. These wealthy men, mostly of the [[Social_class_in_Urcea#Privilegiata_2|Privilegiata]] class, were a new and destabilizing element to Urcea's political life and culture. Dubbed the [[History_of_Urcea_(1798-1902)#Railroadocrats|"Railroadocrats"]], these men formed a powerful interest which opposed both the traditional social order as well as the [[Guilds (Urcea)|guild system]], which significant hampered their ability to exploit laber in service of the growing railroad industry. In [[1889]], the Railroadocrats helped [[Gréagóir FitzRex]] seize power in the [[Coup of All Saints]], beginning the [[History_of_Urcea_(1798-1902)#Crown_Regency|Crown Regency]]. During the coup, they shut down rail service throughout [[The Valley (Urcea)|the Valley]] except for FitzRex's men. During the Regency, the railroads grew extensively as various regulations and restrictions were loosened. The period between FitzRex's seizure of power and the beginning of the [['97 Rising]] were some of the most profitable and successful in the history of the Urcean railroad industry, and rails covered every corner of the country by the end of the 19th century. However, their participation in a coup against the government and subsequent influence over the Crown Regency destroyed public trust in the railroads, leading to ramifications for the industry that would alter the course of rail transportation over the 20th century.