Slide 2 Tushar Jois AP European History Kinberg January 14, 2013
Slide 3 The Aristocracy The Middle Class (bourgeoisie) The Peasants
and the Working Classes During this time period, a persons or
familys social class and lifestyle was implied by the source of
income (Chambers 683). A Social Class Hierarchy Click on a Social
Class name to go to that section of the presentation Nobles and
Upper Gentry Upper level administrators Power dependent on
population dynamic Power dependent on population dynamic Bankers,
Merchants, Professionals Bankers, Merchants, Professionals Not a
majority Believed themselves to be self made Believed themselves to
be self made The Majority of the Population The Majority of the
Population Peasants: tied to land Hungry for land, power Hungry for
land, power Resistant to change Workers: tied to employers Meager
Wages Inhumane Conditions Slide 4 Return to Hierarchy Return to
Hierarchy Included all nobles (with special formal titles
Lord/Lady/Sir etc.) and their blood relatives, along with the upper
gentry (landowners) In the Low Countries and in the north: also the
wealthy patrician families of the cities (jonkheers) Aristocracy on
the decline because of threats to their privilege France: French
Revolution (1789) abolished all hereditary titles, and the ones
created by Napoleon were considered void (Smith) Members of French
Parliament consider aristocrats as those who consume without
producing (Richardson 4) Aristocracy still prevalent in upper-level
governmental functions diplomats, generals, advisors/councilmembers
Were strongest in the least industrial areas = Russia, Eastern
Europe Still stuck in the past honor and chivalry still considered
important (Sherman 87) Slide 5 Return to Hierarchy Return to
Hierarchy Centered in the least industrial places: the South and
Eastern portions of Europe In addition, the most powerful
aristocrats comprised less than 5% of a nations population Russia:
three hundred seventy thousand aristocrats (1%) governing
thirty-three million three hundred thousand serfs (90%) at the turn
of the century (Estimated) The tsar of Russia used the aristocrats
as a way of subjugating the peasant masses Most land was
state-owned, but administered by nobles This gave the aristocratic
class exceptional control over local affairs, making them
autonomous over their own land and tyrants to their serfs (Chambers
683) Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Kingdom of Naples): 87,000 (1%)
aristocrats managing 5,221,800 (60%) manorial peasants (Estimated)
After Napoleon was exiled, the aristocrats of Naples helped in
reclaiming the lands for the original king As a result, their
puppet king, the Bourbon Ferdinand IV, allowed them to be a part of
administration (Pappas) A Russian noble court. Note the affluence
in type of clothing. (Russian) Slide 6 Return to Hierarchy Return
to Hierarchy If the nobility composed a greater part of the
population, the pattern was different In Poland, Spain, and
Hungary, most nobles were poor Their indecisive position shifted
constantly from supporting the government (usually for a title of
some sort) or sympathizing with radicals and rebels The Magyars of
Hungary Proud history as the founders and settlers of Hungary, with
a long (and bloody) history (Magyars) Sought to the reinforce their
influence through representative government and decentralization
Cooperated with political/economic reformers Similar patterns in
northern Italy and Belgium The most open-minded were the British
aristocrats Proved willing to accept liberal programs in exchange
for political power 1832-1867: 64/100 cabinet members were sons of
nobles, and 80% of Parliament considered of nobles or their
representatives The younger nobility were closely tied to the
middle class, however (Chambers 683) (Magyar Noble) Slide 7 Return
to Hierarchy Return to Hierarchy The Junkers held the most
influence in Prussia Powerful because of their unwavering position
through times of change Crude by Europeans standards of elegancy,
retaining a medieval-esque form of culture from the Middle Ages
Proud tradition of fierce loyalty and service to their king and the
realm Their actions and values, which were prevalent in Prussian
society, were emulated by the common folk France is the only
European nation where the old aristocracy was reduced to a minor
role in politics due to the revolutions of 1830 However, the
retained their former status in social life and local affairs All
over Europe, the source of the aristocracys power was being put
under question Lineage was once a matter state, but now it was only
a private matter (Chambers 684) A typical Prussian Junker, outside
his average home (Junker). Slide 8 Return to Hierarchy Return to
Hierarchy The most confident and emphatic class was the middle
class The greatest of the bankers, industrialists, and merchants
made up the top of the pecking order Office clerks, schoolteachers,
and shopkeepers made up the bottom These two extremes formed the
social division known as the bourgeoisie The most important part of
the middle class: most merchants, upper bureaucrats, and
professionals Professionals included doctors, lawyers, managers,
engineers, and professors These peoples attempted to sever their
ties to the aristocracy, opposed to their privilege and unearned
wealth Saw themselves as the beacons for social welfare and change
(Chambers 687) Their occupations tended to be based in cities, and
as a result the middle class was an urban class Made up almost 25%
of the taxpaying citizens of Paris in the 19 th Century In smaller
cities, they formed around 15% of the general population (Smith) A
bourgeoisie with his attendants (Bourgeoisie). Slide 9 Return to
Hierarchy Return to Hierarchy The middle classes did not
necessarily make up a majority of the population, so their true
power was in economics and in society The people who comprised the
ranks of the middle class controlled much of the trade and commerce
that took place within the urban centers of the time Their values
and styles set the tone for the rest of society (aka the lower
classes) The Big Idea: The middle class of this time period all
believed that they were self-made (Chambers 688) They valued
hard-work, judiciousness, resilience, and self- reliance They
despised the aristocracy for their laziness and contempt for work
(Smith) Because of the intermediate social position of this class,
it was possible to fall out of it The middle class had a
distinctive social style The Home contained ornately crafted
furniture and colorful wall decorations Rise of the factory system
allowed women of the time to purchase more dresses with ornamental
frills and with different colors All middle class men work the
same, plain garb a symbol of unity (Chambers 687-688) A middle
class woman. Note the ornamental frills of her gown (Woman). Slide
10 Return to Hierarchy Return to Hierarchy More than seventy
percent of all Europeans were still peasants They reflected the
lower half of traditional society Their fates were intertwined with
that of the aristocracy The most important social change of the 19
th century was the emancipation of peasants and serfs from manorial
obligation Manorial Obligation included certain concessions given
to the lord as rent, like labor on the lords land or payment to the
lord for use for the mill These changes were set in motion with the
French Revolution (August 4, 1789) and spread to the rest of Europe
with the conquests of Napoleon and the later revolutions of 1848
However, this prevented peasants from accessing traditional means
of protection against hardship No manor meant no common land to
farm in case of harvest failure and famine and no common wood to
forage for firewood Allowed peasants to enter the commercial market
for the first time Peasant farmers started to produce food for
surplus/commerce, not just subsistence for the family Utilized
better machinery and cultivation techniques that allowed for
maximum crop output (Chambers 684) Poorer peasants working in the
field (Millet). Slide 11 Return to Hierarchy Return to Hierarchy
The peasants were the most tenacious social group, as they clung on
to their old ways Opposed to reformers and change, unless it
yielded them with immediate benefits Resented government control:
taxes and military service They hungered for land and political
power The government knew that the peasantrys sheer size could be
the deciding factor in revolutions and wars the French Revolution,
Spanish resistance, etc. (Chambers 684) Galician Slaughter: an
example of the peasant violence that rocked Europe from 1820-1848
Centered around the city-sate of Krakow in the Austrian partition
of Poland in 1864 They were set to lead an insurrection against the
government, resulting in independence Instead of combating this
violence directly, the Austrians gave information to the
power-hungry peasants of the region In exchange for their fighting,
the peasants were promised land and gold The insurrection
ultimately failed as a result, but helped add to the kindling
toward the revolutions of 1848 (Benarz) Polish peasants and
Austrian troops in Galicia exchanging booty for money (Lewicki).
Slide 12 Return to Hierarchy Return to Hierarchy Fusion of the
agrarian and industrial sectors was ongoing c. 1850 In Britain: the
peasantry was eliminated due to enclosures reducing the peasants to
free agent laborers In France: the peasants owned 30% of arable
land, and gradually gaining more In Central Europe: Larger farms
were consolidated, also reducing them to peasants In Germany:
Freedom from feudal obligations included a fee to the nearby lord
Meanwhile, in Russia Landowners still held claims to unpaid labor
and total control over their serfs This system was abolished circa
1860 to allow for administrative efficiency (Chambers 684 685)
Slide 13 Return to Hierarchy Return to Hierarchy The workers, a
minority (even in Britain), were the most notable class of this
time They indicated a new age, where the employer (who sets the
wages) held control over the tasks done and the length of said
tasks French workers had a special restriction, a passport known as
a livret which recorded the past jobs of a person An entire family
would have to be employed because wages were meager The workday was
long and hard, with occupational hazards (machinery) and fines for
the smallest error The only free of the working class were the
artisans They were free from guild restrictions after 1848
(Chambers 685-686) Industrial Workers (Factory). Slide 14 Return to
Hierarchy Return to Hierarchy Workers were usually uneducated and
too exhausted to concentrate energy on reform Anyway, after 1824,
trade unions were banned everywhere but England Local originations
did form for mutual help, though Confraternities (France)/Friendly
Societies (Britain) Skilled workers that met in secret with
elaborate rituals Its members would help one another in times of
illness or disaster Cooperatives began to spring up Attempted to
increase the workers control over their lives Labor movements (i.e.
strikes) usually petered out after some weeks due to the
defenselessness of the working class In Britain, many trade unions
formed because of this condition Origination against their common
enemy was the only way to defeat it Newspapers, pamphlets calling
workers to action became more prevalent during this time (1830s)
Common themes: natural rights, pride in work, social justice The
millions of employed rallied behind radical reformers as hope for
the future (Chambers 686-687) The banner of a local friendly
society (Tuthill). Slide 15 An informative website about 19 th
Century Paris An informative website about 19 th Century Paris More
information on friendly societies More information on friendly
societies The Role of Women in Urban Society The Role of Women in
Urban Society A Pictorial view of English Society A Pictorial view
of English Society All Links Used Under a Fair-Use Licence Slide 16
Benarz, Dennis, and Karen Wisniewski. "1846 - The Peasant
Uprising." 1846 - The Peasant Uprising. SPUSCIZNA, n.d. Web. 14
Jan. 2013. Bourgeoisie. Digital image. Louis XIV and France.
University of Wisconsin, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Chambers,
Mortimer. The Western Experience. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. Print.
"Estimated World Population, 1800 - 1950." World Population by
Continents 1800. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Factory Workers.
Digital image. The Factory System: An Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Jan. 2013.. Junker. Digital image. Western Civilization,
Reformation to the Present. Cal Poly, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
Lewicki, Jan. Rze Galicyjska. 1871. Polish Army Museum, Warsaw.
File:Galician Slaughter in 1846.PNG. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Jan.
2009. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Magyar Noble in Gala Dress. Digital image.
FIDM Museum. FIDM, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. "Magyars." Infoplease.
Infoplease, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Millet. Les Glaneuses. Digital
image. Eponine Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Pappas,
Dale. "Joachim Murat and the Kingdom of Naples." Joachim Murat and
the Kingdom of Naples: 1808 1815. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
Richardson, N. J. The French Prefectoral Corps, 1814-1830,.
Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 1966. Print. Russian Nobility. Digital
image. . , n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Sherman, Dennis, and Mortimer
Chambers. A Study Guide and Map Supplement for The Western
Experience Volume II: Since the Sixteenth Century. New York: McGraw
Hill, 1995. Print. Tuthill, C. Bottesford banner. Digital image.
The Friendly Society Banner. Bottesford History, n.d. Web. 14 Jan.
2013. Woman in Gown. Digital image. Reigns. Wordpress, n.d. Web. 14
Jan. 2013. Return to Beginning Return to Beginning
