EMERGENCE OF MASS SOCIETY

Chapter 20 Section 2

THE NEW URBAN ENVIRONMENT Urban populations grew quickly because

of migration to cities from rural areasDriven by a lack of jobs and a lack of land

Living conditions improved in cities throughout the 1900sCities created boards of health

City medical officers and building inspectors inspected living areas for health hazards

Required running water and internal draining systems to bring in clean water and expel sewageCreation of underground sewage system

SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF MASS SOCIETY

The New Elite

The Middle Classes

The Working Classes

SOCIAL STRUCTURE The New Elite

Made up 5% of populationAristocrats joined by most successful

industrialists, bankers, and merchants Became leaders in government and military

Marriage helped unite aristocrats with successful businesspeople to create the new elite class

SOCIAL STRUCTURE The Middle Classes

Upper middle class Lawyers, doctors, business managers, engineers,

architects, accountants, chemistsLower middle class

Small shopkeepers, traders, prosperous peasants Salespeople, bookkeepers, secretaries

People who believed in hard work and were regular churchgoers Concerned with manners and etiquette

SOCIAL STRUCTURE The Working Classes

Made up almost 80% of populationLandholding peasants, farm laborers, skilled

artisans, unskilled laborers Living conditions improved

Strikes for shorter hours and Saturdays off Rise in wages allows money for leisure activities

EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN New job opportunities arose

Clerks, typists, secretaries, sales clerks Mostly working class women

Marriage and the familyMany women still stayed at home

Number of children born to one woman declinedFamily was central to middle class lifeChildren began work at age 9 or 10

Women worked until marriage

EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN Movement for Women’s Rights

Movement is also called feminism Initially argued on basis of natural rightsLater, fought for rights to divorce, own

property, access to universities, entry into male-dominated occupations

By 1914, women have right to vote in some countries

UNIVERSAL EDUCATION Late 1800s, most Western governments

set up state-financed primary schoolsBoys and girls ages 6-12 were required to

attendPrimary motivation for this was political

Allow more people to vote created a need for better-educated voters

Created a demand for teachers Mostly women

Lower salaries than men1st female colleges were teacher-training

schools Increases literacy rates

NEW FORMS OF LEISURE Industrial system provided more time

and money for leisure activities Amusement parks were introduced Professional team sports