Second Industrial Revolution and the Revolutions of 1848

History M01B – Krister Swanson – Moorpark College

It’s All About Industry

• old way of life passing, 1825-1855: time of transition between 1st IR & 2nd IR
• Affects all aspects of society: living conditions, families, women, social classes, religion
• GB leads (markets, quality of goods, already ahead), others (esp. Fr. & Ger.) follow

Migration to Cities & Beyond

• late 1700s starts, picks up in 1820
• emancipation of serfs & more fluid labor market (changing jobs & locations)
• RR’s & roads make moving easier, feed industry (capital investment)
• cities not ready = horrific conditions

Rise of the Proletariat

• working class w/ no stake in production
• wage system = workers no longer control means of production, all income goes to owners
• end of guilds (FR, liberals) & artisans
• Division of labor “deskills” work

The Proletariat Responds

• sabotage & resistance
• trade unions
• Chartism
• Socialism

Chartism (1830s-40s)

• entrance of working class on political scene
• British WC wants Charter (1838), presented to Parliament 3 times & rejected
• last time with 3.3 mil signatures (large political movement
• The Charter’s Six Points:

• universal suffrage
• annual elections
• secret ballot
• end of property requirement
• salaries for members of Parliament
• equal districts
• all met over time (how GB staves off Revolution), not right away
• some local success but fails nationally
• split between violent & peaceful factions
• mass movement workers needed to make a difference
• failure of Chartismèrise of unions (workers pursue economic gains)
• Difficulty w/ Combination Acts

Industrialism & the Family

• Mechanical weaving takes it out of the home
• fathers use kids as assistants è
• mid-1820’s- spinning & weaving together, men make enough to leave kids home, supervise poor Women & kids not from their family
• Separate sphere for WC Women
• big probs. with child labor
• Factory Act (1833): 9 hrs., 2 hrs. education, must be 9 yrs. old
• break between home & child, brings in school & factory
• 1847- 10 hr. day for all, families spend more time together
• unit of production + consumption to just consumption
• kids stay home until married
• start to supportive domestic role for WC women (MC before)
• children = assets

Industrialism & Women

• unmarried women work until married (factory instead of house)
• Some prostitution out of desperation
• lots of new, unskilled jobs
• less arranged marriage
• men more mobile è more illegitimate kids

Impact of Urbanization

• draws attention to poor
• allows them to organize
• puts them in contact with world

Classical Economics

• extension of Laissez Faire
• Gov’t Should:
• maintain currency
• enforce contracts
• protect property & foreign trade
• leave rest to individual

Malthus

• condition of WC can’t be improved
• pop. will overcome food supply
• wages Ô more kids Ô less food
• WC needs higher standard & less kids

Ricardo

• Iron Law of Wages- wages Ô more kids Ô labor Ô lower wages Ô less kids
• justifies low wages & opposition to unions

Bentham

• utility- greatest happiness for greatest number
• reason+utility will eliminate legal clutter - extension of the Enlightenment

CRIME!

• Social upheaval boosts fear
• ind. & urbanization
• crime increases steadily from 1800-60

Modern Policing & Prison Reform

• key to orderly state & domestic security
• departure from sheriff of old
• early 1800’s-calls for prison reform
• rehabilitation instead of punishment, isolate & train for skill
• all reflect concern for order

Problems of 1848

• hunger
• unemployment
• city strife
• conservative oppression, liberals appeal to workers
• 50 uprisings across Europe - class revolt

Revolutions of 1848

• France: Massive protests in Paris after works program is banned
• June Days: class warfare in streets of Paris
• Louis Napoleon wins new elections - he eventually disbands the assembly and makes himself Napoleon III
• Students revolt in Vienna, demanding a new constitution
• Magyars inspired & have own revolution
• Magyar revolt collapses when other nationalities rally against them
• Czechs rebel against German control in Prague
• Uprisings in Berlin lead to the Frankfurt Parliament
• Gets derailed by being too liberal & questoion of GrossDeutsch vs KleinsDeutsch
• German Unification delayed once again
• Italy also had revolts & unsuccessful unification

Summing Up 1848

• Collision of the ISMs
• Little changes on surface, but most historians agree that the shakeup allowed for big changes later
• GB once again avoids conflict through reform