They were locked into a highly competitive system.
There was a lot of mobility in early Industrial Revolution -no need for massive investment.
But by mid 19th C. - move to assimilate with old ruling classes - buying titles and sending Kids to private schools - less mobility. .
• Origins of the Industrial Working Class (Proletariat).
Movement into cities.
-Factories destroy old communities but new ones come into being. .
-by 1850 - awareness that Ind. Rev was creating riches.
-aim was to get it for the working people.
-origins of trade unions (will be discussed under lecture on Socialism) .
But the class system was more complex than just these two groups. There was a complicated system of rankings within the middle and working classes. .
• New Urban Middle Classes (20%) .
o The Capitalist Bourgeoisie (5%): Tried to ape aristocratic lifestyles after its early liberal period. e.g. it bought and built country houses but engaged in constant battles to cut their production costs and stay rich. .
o The Professional Middle Class: Merchants, lawyers, doctors: increases in power and importance as knowledge based skills come to the fore in society - Medicine, engineering. .
o The lower middle class - shopkeepers, white collar workers (a new class) - often identified with middle class even though they were no wealthier than workers - dentists, teachers, nurses all rise into the lower m/c from w/c status in 19th C. .
• Middle Class Culture .
o Lot of money spent on food .
o Use of servants .
o Well housed - apartments in Europe, houses in Britain .
o Values: Hard work, education, religion .
o Insecurity about social and economic position. .
o This was to lead to many of 20th C's political problems. .
• The Proletariat/Working Class (80%).
As textbook makes clear only textiles were industrialized at first - but factory methods of production did spread to other industries. Other new industries were not factory jobs -e.
