Industrial Revolution - Presentation

Expansion of the Middle Classes By Portia Considine & Rishi Garg

The New Middle Class “Century of the middle class” Many different levels:  Affluent merchants & bankers (elite)  Professionals - lawyers, doctors, government

officials, writers (still important)  Shopkeepers (lower)

Decline of Aristocracy Middle class grew in wealth

& population More productive than ever Middle class placed in position of power due to economic growth Enabled middle class leaders to assert power, take control of government

Middle Class Drive for Power Britain, France, & Low

Countries:  Gained power of

government by 1830-1840 Central Europe:  Gained power of

government later in the century Drive for power was

unstoppable, European leaders were forced to recognize middle class

Nonconformity of Artisans Artisans did not fit into any specific group Possessed specific traditional skills Normally worked independently or with other

artisans to create full product Differed from regular factory workers  Were able to create a full final product, as

opposed to only contributing one step toward a product

Displacement of Artisans Many unaffected by IR Sometimes,

industrialization competed with artisans’ skills Artisans couldn’t always compete with industrial efficiency Many riots/revolutions were caused by artisans

Mechanization of Everyday Life

Rhythm of Work In Britain, by 1850, only 20% of population was

employed in agriculture Steady shift of population from countryside to cities Work schedules were governed by the clock Employers used strict time-keeping to control their workers Middle class employees carried pocket watches Time itself became standardized – Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) was adopted as a universal base zone for the world

The Advent of Railways Europeans had mixed

views about railways Medical risks? King Frederick William III

of Prussia was one of the first major leaders to begin using railways regularly

New Inventions  The 1851 Great

Exhibition showcased Britain’s accomplishments  Held in the Crystal Palace:  Huge iron and glass

building  Covered 19 acres  Reached a height of 108 feet at its peak

 Over 14 months, more

than 14,000 exhibitors displayed more than 100,000 objects  More than 6 million

Alleviation of Famine  Industrialization helped stop

hunger  European countries used to

suffer from famine:  In 1847, Prussia and Germany  Between 1845 and 1851, more

serious in Ireland

 Since 1850s, Europe has been

mostly free of famine because of:  Increase in overall prosperity  Improvement of transportation

networks