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