Industrial Revolution - Presentation Notes

Industrial Revolution – Presentation Notes The New Middle Class •

Professionals – political influence expanded exponentially throughout the nineteenth century.

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Shopkeepers prided themselves on not doing manual work and owning property, even though their income level was far below that of other middle-class people.

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Some of the middle class expanded their enterprises and prospered in the growing cities; others did not believe in the industrialization and lost in the end because of their unwillingness to work in cities and “get with the program”

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The middle class gained so much power that in the end, their power was largely out of proportion to their population

Decline of Aristocracy •

Stimulated growth in wealth and population of middle class

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From 1750-1850, bourgeoisie “created more massive and more colossal productive forces than had been produced by all generations put together” – Karl Marx

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Placed middle class into position of power because of economic growth

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Wealth generated by new productive forces placed bourgeoisie into commanding position, enabled leaders to assert significant amount of power

Middle Class Drive for Power •

Britain, France, and Low Countries – middle class gained power of government by 1830s and 1840s

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Central Europe – industrialization was slower, middle class did not gain power until later in the century

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Middle class drive for power was unstoppable, all European leaders had to recognize them either by granting political representation or changing laws in their favor

Nonconformity of Artisans •

Artisans do not fit perfectly into any one social group; they are neither lower nor middle class

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Artisans possessed specific traditional skills, which resulted from long apprenticeships and enforcement of high standards of workmanship by artisan guilds

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Normally carried productive operation by themselves or with other artisans

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Differed from regular factory workers in that they prided themselves on being able to complete an entire product, not just contribute one step toward final product

Displacement of Artisans •

Many artisans were unaffected by the Industrial Revolution ○ In 1850, there were as many artisans as factory workers in Britain ○ In France, many people were opposed to mass-producing goods ○ Artisans remained an important group

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In some instances, the process of industrialization competed with the artisans’ skills

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Sometimes, the artisans could not compete with the efficiency of machines ○ Some were forced to work long hours at home ○ Others gave up and worked in factories

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Some of the riots and revolutions during the first half of the nineteenth century in Europe were started by artisans

Rhythm of Work •

In Britain by 1850, only about 20% of population was employed in agriculture – dramatic decline from 80-90% that was typical in 1750

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Steady shift of population from countryside to cities

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Work schedules were governed by the clock instead of by the sun and seasons

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Employers controlled their workers and efficiency by strict timekeeping

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Middle class employees carried pocket watches to help follow increasingly time-regulated schedules

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Time itself became standardized – Greenwich Mean Time was adopted as a universal base zone for the entire globe in 1884

The Advent of Railways •

Europeans viewed railways and locomotives with a sense of wonder and fear

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“Some authors speculated about the medical risks posed by travel at the previously unheard of speeds of fifteen or twenty miles per hour.”

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King Frederick William III of Prussia initially worried about the “democratic” effects of railway travel, but eventually began using trains himself because of their speed and efficiency

New Inventions •

The 1851 Great Exhibition was held in London ○ Showcased Britain’s technological and economic advancements

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It was held in the Crystal Palace, a huge iron and glass building covering 19 acres and reaching a height of 108 feet at its peak

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Over 14 months, more than 14,000 exhibitors displayed more than 100,000 objects from Britain, its empire, and other parts of the world

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More than 6 million visitors of all classes attended from all over Europe, and many of them traveled by means of… you guessed it, the new network of railroads

Alleviation of Famine •

Industrialization helped mitigate hunger and famine

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In the pre-industrial age, European countries suffered from famine due to crop failures

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In 1847, Prussia and Germany suffered from widespread malnutrition because of poor harvests

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Between 1845 and 1851, a more serious famine occurred in Ireland, where a potato failure led to about a million deaths and caused about 2 million people to move away

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Since the 1850s, Europe has been mostly free of famine because of two major factors: ○ Increase in overall prosperity ○ Improvement of transportation networks

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The fact that most Europeans have enough food to feed themselves generously, even in times of rapid population growth, is testimony to the long-term benefits of the Industrial Revolution