How Did The Titanic Affect Society

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The unfortunate event of the Titanic had a great impact on America’s society. The idea of being on the Titanic when it finally set sail was just a dream for many, but it ended up being the reality for those who were well-off and fortunate. Amongst them were numerous wealthy American businessmen, such as John Jacob Astor, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean to England with their entire families. They wanted to be on board for the Titanic's maiden voyage to America. Astor, as well as most of the other wealthy businessmen, perished along with hundreds of others after the ocean liner sank. Family members were also lost. These giants of American industry were leaders at a time that America was beginning to leave the industrial age and enter the technological…show more content…
After all of the excitement about the technological advances the world was witnessing at the time, the Titanic affected the shipping industry by instilling a slight fear of sending cargo and labor forces across the sea, and this fear prevented advances in our markets, aiding in slowing the flow of currency in the U.S -- causing our economy to weaken. Also, it changed our world of telecommunications by its influence on wireless radio. Though in part, lack of successful telecommunication aboard the ship did aid in the outcome of the Titanic. It is not to say the ship would have never hit the iceberg or that passengers would not have died, however it would make sense that after the first few ice warnings someone, such as the captain, should be notified. And…show more content…
So of course, scholars have noted that those extremely clear divisions between the classes were reflected on the voyage. Researchers found that “… 1,316 passengers on the Titanic were separated into three different classes. The 325 people in first class clearly had higher incomes and/ or more wealth than the 285 persons in second class and the 706 in third [working] class…” (). Given the Edwardian era is definitely a privilege based society, it is easy to argue that the separation of classes played a part in one’s chance of survival all together. Upon Analysis, “…the well-to-do first-class passengers had better access to information about the imminent danger and were aware that the lifeboats were situated close to the first-class cabins. In contrast, most third-class passengers likely had no idea where the lifeboats were located…” (). With the belief that the staff and crew were not exempt to the same privileged mindsets as the passengers were, it can be assumed that first class passengers could bargain their way to safety in a way the James Cameron showed in the movie titanic. There was a scene in which Cal tried to pay the crewman to guarantee a seat for himself, only to turn around and pay him instead for information on the whereabouts of the other lifeboats once he noticed that women and children were to board the lifeboats first. Though the Titanic did actually follow the regulations at the time, the lack of
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