Industrialization of the West 1760-1900: A comparative view of the

positive and negative COT

Capitalism-Socialism-Marxism

capitalism socialism MarxismThe forces of supply and demand drivemarkets, as producers move to meeteconomic wants and needs, matching themwith suitable products. Government should“leave the markets alone”, acting only toensure fairness in competition.Basic Ideas:1. private ownership and control of propertyand economic resources,2. free enterprise,3. com petition among businesses,4. freedom of choice and technological progress:invisible hand: serves to self correct market flaws

Capitalism produces a gapbetween rich and poor, andgovernment should act toguarantee that workers aretreated fairly. Governmentshould own and managesome businesses, especiallythose which provide thegreatest public good (healthcare, railroads, etc.)A moderate alternative to free market capitalism

The government should ownand manage all businesses inorder to eliminate the evilsof Capitalism.Workers should unite to seize the means of production (History has been a struggle between the haves and have nots) the government should do this untilOrder is restored and that each will do according to needs and abilities. Preaches no sexism, racism or classism.No competition, no motivation, no risk taking

• Three major themes dominate the period 1750-1914Industrialization as it transformed economies

and societiesPolitical upheaval highlighted by revolutionsImportation of Western values and institutions

by settler societies such as the United States and Australia

• ChangesIn 1750, almost all of Europe consisted of

monarchies. By the end of World War I most were gone

In 1750, Europe was mostly agricultural and rural. By 1914, it was industrial with urban populations surpassing rural ones

• Three forces worked to dramatically change Europe Cultural

• Enlightenment thinkers (Adam Smith- Wealth of Nations) Economic

• Businessmen sought greater political voice (Revolutions)• Artisans/villagers fought growing industrialization• Population increase resulted in more manufacturing, often in the

home (cottage industry), dependent on urban merchants (proto-industrialization)

Demographic• Population revolution- better nutrition, less disease, lower infant

mortality rate• More children caused upper classes to tighten grip on power, drove

more people into the working class (proletariat)

• Great Britain: The Perfect Storm Favorable natural

resources- rivers, coal, iron Large population = large

labor pool Advantages in world trade

and manufacturing Foundations laid by the

Scientific Revolution Government committed to

economic growth

• Origins Labor based on women

and children Steam engine – James

Watt Metallurgy – coal and

coke; Bessemer process Interchangeable parts –

Whitney (US) Telegraph, steam ship,

railway Advanced agriculture The factory system

• The Spread of IndustryOther nations quickly saw the need to copy Britain’s

industrialization Industrialization helped Britain hold out against

Napoleon and brought in wealthThe French Revolution helped France’s

industrialization by abolishing restrictions on trade, protecting private property, and abolishing artisan guilds

Without protective guilds or manors, workers could be used and paid as the market required

The Industrial Revolution was not a rapid process but happened gradually over time

• The Disruptions of Industrial LifeChanges not just in

technology but in lifestylesMigrations (3 major

migrations)• Rural to urban• To plantations• To transportation /

construction Young adults primary

migrants

Cities ill-equipped for population increases

• Housing shortages led to overcrowding

• Overcrowding led to inadequate sanitation

• Inadequate sanitation led to worsened health conditions

• Increases in crime due to poverty

Social changes• Social divisions increased

as middle-class moved to suburbs

• Factory system separated families as family members worked outside the home

• More stress as machines brought faster pace to work and less emphasis on leisurely, high-quality production

• Backlash against industrialization – Luddite movement

• Changes in Traditions of Popular LeisureFactory owners tried to ban singing, napping,

drinking, and other customary frivolities on the jobPunctuality and efficiency were seen as virtues

• Changes in Family LifeConcept of family was redefined by middle classWomen and children were to be protected from the

new working worldWomen withdrew from formal occupations and took

on new virtuous roles as mothers and housewivesEducation for children took on new significance

The Second Industrial Revolution

• From 1850 to 1914City growth continued – urban population

surpassed 50 percentCity governments gained ground in sanitation,

policing, housing, and healthCity parks and museums were constructedCrime rates dropped – due not only to more

effective social control but also a more disciplined population

• Family life adjusted to industrializationBirth rates and death rates droppedChildren increasingly seen as source of emotional

satisfaction rather than source of laborMaterial conditions improved: families could afford

newspapers, family outings, better diet, better housing Infant mortality rate dropped from +30 percent to less

than 10 percentDiscovery of germs by Pasteur resulted in better

practices by medical workers reducing deaths in childbirth

• Changes in LaborEstablishment of labor unions resulted in

better working conditionsUnions stressed power of massed laborersStrikes impacted factories and statesPeasants adjusted to industrial life resulting in

fewer protests and uprisingsPeasants moved into cash crops

• Emphasis on Consumption and Leisure Better wages and shorter

working hours Growth of white-collar labor

force Advertising caused “needs”

where none existed before Creation of consumer fads-

bicycle• First consumer fad• Changed social habits as

women needed less cumbersome clothing and young couples could out-pedal chaperones

Roxanne

• Mass LeisurePopularity of

newspapers- crime, sports, comics

Popular theater- comedy, musical revues, vacations

Rise of sports teamsOlympics reintroduced

in 1896Rising secularism

• Advances in Science• Electricity• Chemistry improved products• Dynamite helped “development”

Rise of social sciences Science applied to agriculture Charles Darwin – evolution Social Darwinism- belief “races”

evolved differently Albert Einstein – Theory of

Relativity Sigmund Freud – psychoanalysis

I hate my relatives

Factors First Industrial Revolution Second Industrial Revolution

Power WaterSteam

SteamOil – Gasoline

Electricity

Labor WomenChildren

Males in skilled and managerial positionsNo Labor Unions

Mostly male Mostly unskilled

Males in skilled and managerial positionsLabor Unions

Strikes

Family Families disrupted as members work outside of home

Stress due to faster pace of lifeMiddle class defined family

Birth and death rates declinedSmaller families

Children cherishedHigher standards of living

Urban Areas Increasing populationCrowded – unsanitary

PollutionCrime

Population continued increaseCity services

Parks and museumsLower crime rates

Society Middle class flight to suburbsLuddites

Emphasis on consumptionMass leisure

Continuities: With all this change what remained the same?

Political Economic CulturalMost people still not reflected in constitutional protectionsMost nations were still pre-industrialBourgeosie still political mechanismMost monarchies endured until WWIWar still a way of extracting land, labor and capital (imperialism)Nationalism persisted

Peasant agriculture still remainedStill great economic disparitiesMercantilism done by private companies (with some governmental oversight) Exploitation of the labor force (coercive iron law of wages) although slavery would be abolishedGreat unrest amongst the proletariatColonies still sources of land labor and capital (but now included Asia and Africa because of new scientific technologies)

Still competition amongst private industriesPatriarchy persisted (cult of domesticity)Religious values were still strong (especially amongst the urban poor)Racism would be shown toward migrants and former slavesNationalism would enforce foreign policy of imperialism “ at whatever means necessary”Spirit of innovation and intellectual property of the first industrial revolution would continue