hey everybody before we begin I would like to tell you that this video was made in tandem with Mr beat he's a history teacher that makes social studies videos here on YouTube so after you're done watching this video make sure you go and watch his video on the Sun Belt links to that video can be found in the cards description and the end screen so without further delay let's talk about the Rust Belt on the night of November the 8th 2016 I and many Americans watched the election returns in shock as almost every Democratic stronghold in the Rust Belt went for Donald Trump this upset has been largely attributed to a combination of Hill Clinton refusing to campaign there and Donald Trump campaigning there more than any Republican president in living memory he promised to restore this region to its former glory but what exactly was this former glory and what happened to it why did the Rust Belt rust before this region was called the Rust Belt it was once referred to as the industrial Heartland of America during the early phases of American industrialization the Midwest was a prime location for the construction of factories there was an abundance of Transportation Lanes from paved roads early Rail lines to the east coast canals and the Great Lakes themselves it was also optimally located to import raw materials from the American West and deliver manufactured goods in all directions across the country this industrial might only grew as new technology created new Industries everything seemed to be going its way so how did everything go wrong the problems were both internal and external the Great Depression Did a number on Manufacturing in the 1930s but World War II would revive it the US military consumed a large amount of resources during the war and it needed a plurality of all the industrial goods in the United States the need for goods during the war outpaced the capacity of the industrial Heartland this led to the growth of manufacturing out Western California and in the south after the war the United States was the only Power still standing with the industrial capacity to supply the world with manufactured goods although the US government's demand for manufactured goods would sharply decline after the war this was made up for by Foreign demand fueled in part by the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe however this would not last forever the decline of American Manufacturing in the midwest would be fueled by labor costs and increased competition the first place they began to lose jobs was to other places in the United States wages in the South and Out West were lower in comparison to the Midwest and the Northeast due to the overall lower level of skills and education in those regions this was compounded by powerful unions artificially increasing labor costs through the threat of strikes and legally backed collective bargaining in later decades the higher labor cost would be exacerbated by labor and environmental regulations that fur increase the cost of production alongside internal cost increases external price decreases also played a role in the decline of the industrial Heartland the Marshall Plan implemented by The Truman Administration was the US attempt at preventing the spread of Soviet influence by rebuilding the European economy's destroyed by the second world war the US government would give money to the Europeans with the stipulation being that they must purchase us-made Goods this created a post-war Boom for the us but ultimately planted the seeds for its own Decay as the Europeans rebuilt their Industries with American Goods they began to manufacture their own and as domestic manufacturing increased demand for American Goods decreased the Europeans also began to increase trade ties with each other and hop that this would reduce the likelihood of a war on the continent in the future in the latter part of the Cold War the United States began to face competition from East Asia Japan was the first to rise challenging the US Auto and electronics Industries they would be followed by Singapore Taiwan Korea and China Japan like Europe was given economic aid in order to prevent the spread of Soviet influence while the others began to implement free market reforms to take advantage of lower labor costs in their own countries the newest Pillager of jobs has been improved technology increased use of automation has reduced the number of laborers it takes to manufacture Goods which means that what few factories still exist in the midwest are using fewer workers in the 1980s the term Rust Belt came into use to describe the former industrial Heartland as former factories sit empty those with the means to leave do so while those who were stuck in their old ways and want things to return to to what they believe is normal wait for politicians to fulfill promises No One Believes can be kept so you can make cars in America again we're going to help the companies and they're going to help you so what is happening to those few who have taken the risk of leaving and where are they going to find out check out this video from fellow Ed YouTuber Mr beat made on the Sun Belt while you're at it subscribe to his channel and check out his other videos thanks for watching [Music]