Final answer:
The correct term is Deindustrialization, describing the Midwest's decline in industrial activity and the closing of aging factories, leading to the Rust Belt phenomenon.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that describes the area across the Midwest experiencing a decline in industry and aging factories is A) Deindustrialization.
Deindustrialization refers to the loss of industrial production, often moving to locations where costs are lower, such as peripheral and semi-peripheral nations. This process impacted regions in the United States known as the "Rust Belt," which includes parts of the Northeast and Midwest. Cities like St. Louis, Milwaukee, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Philadelphia witnessed a significant number of factory closures. These industrial hubs once employed millions of blue-collar workers, but trends such as employers relocating to southern states with weaker labor unions or moving operations overseas to benefit from lower wages and lax regulations led to widespread job losses and economic decline in the traditional manufacturing areas. The shift from a manufacturing-based economy to a service- and information-based economy drives this ongoing transformation.
The term that describes the area across the Midwest experiencing a decline in industry and aging factories is deindustrialization.
The Rust Belt, which includes parts of the Northeast and Midwest, experienced the closure of many factories and a loss of jobs in cities such as Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee.
This decline in industry was caused by various factors such as the relocation of factories to areas with weaker labor unions and lower wages, as well as the outsourcing of production to other countries.