Mass Society in an Age of Progress FIFI

Mass Society in an Age of Progress FIFI 1871 - 1894

Main Points ► Era of significant material prosperity and progress ► Second Industrial Revolution reinforces faith in materialism ► Mass Society emerges with this broad urban, industrial and economic growth ► Era of increased democracy and the triumph of liberalism ► New ideas of mass politics, propaganda and mass press

Growth of Industrial Prosperity ► After 1871, new technology and industrial developments triggered Second Industrial Revolution § First IR focused on textiles, coal, iron and RR § Second focused on steel, chemicals, electricity, and petroleum

New Products, New Markets ► Substitution of steel for iron (Bessemer Process and Gilchrist Process) ► Chemical production: Germany surpasses GB (soap, paper, dyes, film) ► Electricity § T. Edison (1847 -1931) and Joseph Swan – light bulb § A. G. Bell (1847 -1922) – telephone, 1876 § G. Marconi (1874 -1937) – radio waves across the Atlantic, 1901 § Transformation of factories to electrical power

New Products, New Markets ► Internal combustion engine and petroleum power ► Automobile and airplane § Daimler (1886) engine § H. Ford (1863 -1947) – mass production § Zeppelin airship, 1900 § Wright brothers, 1903

Evolution of the “Zeppelin” From the very first Zeppelin …to the virile progenitors of heavy metal Zeppelin …to a reallybigexploding. German. Zeppelin …to the Viagra-dependent Zeppelin!

New Products, New Markets Marconi’s radio (1901); Daimler’s internal combustion engine in the first motorcycle (1885)

New Products, New Markets ►New markets § Increased wages and elevated standard of living § Competition ►Advertisement ►Tariffs § Cartels (Rhenish Westphalian Coal Syndicate) § Precision tools/interchangeable parts and assembly line

New Patterns in an Industrial Economy ► Depression, 1873 -1895 – falling prices, business slump ► Economic boom after 1895 ► La belle époque ► German Industrial Leadership § Germany replaces Britain as the industrial leader of Europe § New areas of manufacturing; emphasis on scientific and technological education

New Patterns in an Industrial Economy ► Europe’s two economic zones: Industrial and Agricultural § Advance industrial core of Great Britain, Belgium France, the Netherlands, Germany, western part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and northern Italy § Little industrial development in southern Italy, most of Austria-Hungary, Spain, Portugal, the Balkan kingdoms, and Russia ► Development of world economy caused many agricultural areas to specialize due to an abundance of grain

Industrial Regions of Europe by 1914

Women and Work “Right to work” ► Ideal of domesticity/cult of domesticity vs. reality of financial need ► Sweatshops and “slopwork” and factory restrictions ► White-Collar Jobs ► § Increased white-collar jobs created shortage of male workers opening up opportunities for women § Secretaries, teachers, clerks, telephone operators, nurses § Freedom from domestic patterns Prostitution ► Contagious Diseases Acts of 1870 s and 1880 s ► § § § Government penalizes prostitutes, not Johns Josephine Butler’s “Shrieking Sisters” Repeal of the acts in 1886

Women and Work Female telephone operators; French prostitutes: “Why didn’t they just wash the muff? ”

Organizing the Working Class ► Growing numbers of workers – they wanted their voices heard and developed labor unions and political parties ► Socialist Parties in Germany § German Social Democratic Party (SPD) 1875 – most prominent socialist party – why in Germany? § Liebknecht and Bebel – Marxist rhetoric ► Socialist Parties in France § Variety of socialist parties § Jean Juares – rejects Marxism in favor of model from French Revolution ► Effects of the growth of socialist parties – Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Russia ► Second International (1889) and International Labor Day 5/1

Organizing the Working Class ►Two divisive issues: Revisionism and Nationalism § Evolutionary Socialism vs. Marxism ►Bebel and Marxism ►Eduard Bernstein (1850 -1932) and Revisionism § Nationalism ►“The working man has no country” (? ) ►Many like Marx favored international approach but nationalism was a powerful force!

Organizing the Working Class ►Formation of labor unions § Right to strike § Replacement of violent upheaval with collective bargaining § Strong ties to socialist parties – why? ►Anarchism § Initially a peaceful movement § Bakunin’s approach – more violence § Use of assassination

Contrasting Political Viewpoints Gradual change! VIOLENT REVOLUTION! Destroy the state! And shoot someone! Bebel: “We aim in the domain of politics at republicanism; in the domain of economics at socialism; in the domain of what is today called religion, at atheism. ” Bernstein: "The Communist Manifesto was correct…but…we see the privileges of the capitalist bourgeoisie yielding…to democratic organizations…In my judgment…success lies in a steady advance……than in…a catastrophic clash. “ Bakunin: “If there is a State, then there is domination, and in turn, there is slavery. ”

Emergence of Mass Society ► Population Growth § 270 mil to 460 mil from 1850 -1910! § Decline in the death rate ►Medical discoveries and environmental conditions ►Improved publication sanitation ►Improved nutrition ► Increased US emigration to urban areas and to § Opportunity for employment § Need to escape persecution

Population Growth in Europe, 1820 -1900

The Urban Environment ► Growth of cities / Urbanization ► Urban Reformers and Improved Living Conditions § Edwin Chadwick, Rudolf Virchow ►Pointed to relationship between living conditions and disease ►Boards of Health established ►Buildings begin to be inspected for problems ►Public Health Act of 1875 in Britain ►Clean water into the city ►Expulsion of sewage

Transformation of the Urban Environment ► Housing Needs § Reformer-philanthropists focused on relationship of living conditions to political and moral health of the nation § Victor A. Huber, German reformer – no more SLUMS! § Octavia Hill – personal investment in housing § Lord Leverhulme – Port Sunlight and his soap factory § Ebenezer Howard – Letchward Garden City § Garden City Movement ► Redesigning the cities; British Housing Act of 1890 § Construct new buildings, reconfigure spaces § Cheap modern transportation – urban sprawl, suburbs § Liberal principles of government don’t hold true

Transformation of the Urban Environment Slum housing; Lord Levelhulme’s houses for his employees at Port Sunlight Village; the visual concept for the Garden City Movement

Social Structure of Mass Society ► The Elite § 5 percent of the population that controlled 30 to 40 percent of wealth § Alliance of wealthy business elite and traditional aristocracy § Common bonds ► The Middle Classes § Stratification: Upper middle class, middle-class, lower middle -class § Professionals § White-collar workers § Middle class values came to dominate society and culture ► The Lower classes § § § 80 percent of the European population Agriculture Urban working class stratification: Skilled, semiskilled, unskilled workers

Social Structure of Mass Society The elite, the urban poor and the rural poor

The Woman Question ► There were increased job opportunities for women ► However, femininity many women still aspired to the ideal of § Marriage was the only honorable and/or available career § Lord Tennyson’s The Princess: ► Man is the hunter; woman is his game: The sleek and shining creatures of the chase, We hunt them for the beauty of their skins; They love us for it, and we ride them down. § Pt. V, l. 147 -150. ► Man for the field and woman for the hearth: Man for the sword and for the needle she: Man with the head and woman with the heart: Man to command woman to obey; All else confusion. § Pt. V, l. 427 -431.

The Family and Family Life ► “Cult of Domesticity” glorified § Before increased job opportunities, women had to marry out of financial necessity § Most women chose to marry, however lowering illegitimacy, but so did… ► Family Planning § Family size limited (contraception – vulcanized rubber) § Dr. Aletta Jacob – first birth control clinic in Amsterdam 1882 § Those who could afford children used birth control; those who could not often didn’t § Many spoke out against birth control

The Middle Class Family ► Family was a central institution § Men – income § Women – household, socials, needlepoint – the more idle the better! § Domestic Servants – housework/cooking ► 1890 to 1914 higher paying jobs made it possible to live on the husband’s wages ► Leisure time due to higher wages and reduced work week § Holiday traditions § Gender-based activities, toys for children

The Working Class Family ► Wages improved to allow younger children NOT to work, and even more women were staying at home like middle class ► Consumer goods – sewing machines, stoves, bicycles – provided goals to work toward ► Saturday leisure ► Compulsory education removed children from factories and put them in schools

Education and Leisure ► Schools § Gymnasium (Secondary Schools) § Secondary (University) for wealthy and later, middle class § Needed compulsory education for informed voting public and national pride! § Germany had 1 st public education system early 19 th century § By 1870 s more school requirements ► Impact on literacy ► Growth of publications

Education and Leisure ► Second IR decimated village life of past – long holidays didn’t mesh with industrial pace ► Shorter work days/weeks = more leisure! ► Machines to do housework = more leisure! ► Rail travel to resorts and Tourism (Thomas Cook) ► Music and dance halls ► Organized sports ► Amusement Parks

Early Days of Sport Rugby in Britain; Football (Soccer) in Genoa

Ferris Wheel – Old School Weeeee! Life sucks for us!

The National State: Western Europe and the Growth of Political Democracy ► With the exception of Spain and Italy, parliamentary control of the governments of western Europe were able to push for liberal reforms. ► Great Britain and Gladstone’s Reforms § Reform Act of 1884 § Redistribution Act § Salaries to members of the House of Commons

The National State: Western Europe and the Growth of Political Democracy ► Irish Question § Act of Union 1801 and the impact of nationalism § Gladstone’s attempt at land reform § Failure of Home Rule Bills of 1886 and 1893 § Irish Protestants in Ulster (N. Ireland) vs. Catholics

The National State: Western Europe and the Growth of Political Democracy ► France in turmoil § Defeat in the Franco-Prussian War led to the downfall of Emperor Louis Napoleon III. § Bismarck required defeated France to choose their new government by UNIVERSAL MALE SUFFRAGE, though the French Republicans had set up a provisional government § Once put to vote, the French public rejected the republican government and elected a majority of monarchists for the new National Assembly!

The National State: Western Europe and the Growth of Political Democracy ► France in turmoil § Radical republicans rebel: Paris Commune established § National Assembly brutally puts down the commune after a month of nasty street fighting ►Louise Michel and the role of women ►Outcome broadened the rift between middle and working class already begun in 1848 -9 revolutions

The National State: Western Europe and the Growth of Political Democracy ► France in turmoil § Monarchists failure to choose a king § Ineffective leadership opens door for republic to prevail § By 1875, Third Republic born. 1 st? 2 nd? § Republicans come to dominate Chamber of Deputies § Resistance to the Third Republic and the Boulanger Affair

The National State: Western Europe and the Growth of Political Democracy ► Spain and Italy § Spain remains conservative and brutally suppresses outbursts of socialists and anarchists § Italy, the Ethiopia humiliation, and the rift between industrialists and working class

The National State: Central and Eastern Europe and the Persistence of the Old Order ► Germany § Established legislature as well as universal male suffrage, yet still remained an authoritarian and conservative regime § Bicameral legislature: Bundesrat and Reichstag § Role of Chancellor and persistence of Junkerdominated military hierarchy

The National State: Central and Eastern Europe and the Persistence of the Old Order ► Germany: a power struggle § Bismarck ► Kulturkampf and playing to liberals ► Bismarck’s conservative backlash in 1878 ► Outlawing SDP ► Social Welfare Legislation (? ) ► Failure to curb growth of SDP and desire to use undemocratic, repressive measures to obliterate them § Kaiser Wilhelm II ► Desire to rule alone ► Role of Kaiser made secure by Bismarck ► Dissatisfaction with Bismarck’s failure to win over the workers and stop spread of SDP ► Bismarck’s dismissal in 1890

The National State: Central and Eastern Europe and the Persistence of the Old Order ► Austria § Ausgleich created dual monarchy 1867 with constitution and parliament, but Emperor Francis Joseph undermined its authority § Ethnic minority problem ►Edward von Taaffe as PM (1879 -1893) ►Concessions to minorities anger German-speaking bureaucracy ►Francis Joseph used Catholicism to keep people together ►Universal male suffrage 1907

The National State: Central and Eastern Europe and the Persistence of the Old Order ► Hungary § More effective parliament but dominated by Magyar landowners § Forced Magyarization § Ethnic tensions

The National State: Central and Eastern Europe and the Persistence of the Old Order ► Russia § No concessions or liberal democratic reforms § Assassination of Alexander II made his son Alexander III reactionary § Secret police, power of Zemstovs curtailed § Industrialization would force inevitable change…

In Summary… This era – the Second Industrial Revolution – and the wealth it brought, brought with is great prosperity and a higher standard of living. ► Education, the right to vote, higher pay, better healthcare and living conditions coupled with technological advancements gave people more leisure time, and with this, they took vacations, joined social clubs, attended performances, and played on teams. ► A people participated more in government, they came to rely increasingly on the national state to take care of the population, and people’s pride in their national identity continued to grow, triggering a wave of intense nationalism and competitive international rivalries. ►