In the gilded age, how did monopolies affect many small businesses?

Monopolies forced small businesses to shut down.

Explanation:

During the Gilded Age, monopolies were very common. Monopolies developed due to two factors. First, the Industrial Revolution gave rise to many new industries that represented wonderful financial opportunities. The second reason is the fact that monopolies were not regulated effectively. As a monopoly captures all of the market of a particular product, monopolies often forced small businesses to shut down.

a social contract.

"a social contract is an agreement between citizens and their leader where the citizens give up certain freedoms in exchange for protection. the constitution of the united states is an example of a social contract."

very positive impact on our industries in the west, sine they promoted settlement and increased the ways in which goods could be transported to market.