The Age of Isms

Europe in the Industrial Age

Industrialism

Industrialism

Mechanization of Manufacturing– Importance of textiles machines, steam engine

Mineral Sources of Energy– Coal powers new technology

Development of Factories– Workers concentrated around machines or in

workshops instead of raw materials distributed to homes

New Methods of Transportation– Roads and canals improve movement of raw

materials and finished goods, but railroad is key

Industrialism: Effects

Population Growth– Income from wages leads to earlier

marriages, more children, better nutritionStandard of Living

– Industrial manufacturing makes more goods more affordable to a larger swath of the the population

– “Working class slums”: difficult living conditions and unsanitary environment for working class

Industrialism: Effects

Changing Family Relationships– Initially, women and children are eagerly hired by

factory owners– Over time, women are seen as belonging in the

home and children are seen emotional rather than economic commodities

New Social Class Structure– Old Regime: Nobles vs. Peasants– Industrial Order

Upper Class: Wealthy Capitalists (business owners)Middle Class: “White collar” workers (managers, etc.)Lower Class: “Blue collar” workers (laborers)

Nationalism

Nationalism

Political boundaries should be redrawn in order to reflect shared culture, language and history– Reject dynastic monarchs as legitimate

basis for determining national status

Nationalism: Impact

Unification– Uniting divided groups into single nations

Examples: Germany; Italy

Division– Groups rebelling from imperial powers

Examples: Greeks from Ottoman Empire, Poles from Russia, Czechs from the Hapsburg Empire (AKA Austria-Hungary)

Map of Europe: 1914

Conservatism

Conservatism

Maintain the existing social and political order– Hereditary monarchies, established

churches, and landed nobilitySupport gradual reform rather than

revolution– Only way to protect against anarchy of the

French Revolution

Conservatism: Impact

Dominant political ideology of Industrial Europe and Russia– Example: Holy Alliance of Russia,

Prussia, and Austria-HungaryConservative Nationalism

– Examples: Bismarck (Germany); Cavour (Italy); Third Republic (France)

Liberalism

Liberalism

Government should protect basic rights– Liberals fought for reforms in the name of

freedom Establish and protect individuals rights

– Freedom press, religion, equality in law Expand the right to vote

– Propertied middle class should have greater control of government

Promote free trade– Remove tariffs and other restrictions to

commerce

Liberalism: Impact

Revolution and Reform– Source of major revolutions (such as

1848) and major reforms (such as British Reform Bill)

Socialism

Socialism

Reject free market capitalism in favor of institutions that protect workers– Society should be organized into

communities rather than forcing individuals to fend for themselves (unions, communal workshops, etc.)

– Strong government regulation and redistribution of income are needed to ensure people are treated fairly within the industrial economy

Socialism: Impact

Spread of Marxist thought (Next Unit!)– Marx’s ideas spread not only through

Europe, but to other regions as wellRussian socialism (Lenin)Chinese socialism (Mao)Vietnamese socialism (Ho Chi Minh)African socialism, etc.

Humanitarianism

Humanitarianism

People have a ethical and religious duty to look after their fellow human beings– COT: Medieval monasteries and their

decline in the Early Modern Era

Humanitarianism: Impact

Political and social movements to improve the lives of the lower classes and others– Examples: Abolition of slavery in the

British Empire; “Settlement House” movement

Feminism

Feminism

Women have the right to the same political, economic, and social opportunities as men– No difference between men and women in

the eyes of the law– Complete rejection of patriarchy

Feminism: Impact

Political Feminism– Equality under the law; Suffrage (voting

rights)– Example: Emmeline Pankhurst

Economic Feminism– Opening of jobs closed to women

(doctors, lawyers, etc.)

Romanticism

Romanticism

Focus on passion above intellect– Recognize limits of human reason and focus on

intuition and imagination– Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason”

Human’s share an innate sense of moral duty, the “categorical imperative”

Challenges the Enlightenment

Appreciation of Nature– Emphasizes beauty of the natural world free from

human influence

Romanticism: Impact

Arts and Literature– Major artistic and literary movement of the

19th centuryRomantic Nationalism

– Idealizing the distant past as justification for political movementsExample: Greek Revolution, Italian

Nationalism

Coach Lerch’s Final Thoughts

Although these “isms” dominate Industrial Europe, they will also go out into the world in the 19th and 20th centuries due to the rise of another European ism: imperialism

As a result, forces like nationalism and socialism are adopted by diverse groups around the world and given their own unique twist (cultural blending!!!)