Unit 7

Homework Review  Worksheet 1

Note Page  The period of the Industrial Revolution saw improved transportation (railroads, canals, etc.) and urbanization- the increase over time in the population of cities in relation to the region's rural (country) population. Not surprisingly, environmental pollution also resulted from the Industrial Revolution. There was an overall population rise and increased standards of living- the level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to groups of people in a particular geographic area- for many, but not all. The middle class-people in the middle of the social hierarchy-grew in number and ultimately in power. While there was increased education, there was likewise a rising level of frustration of the working class- laborers- with working conditions-the working environment and aspects of employee terms and conditions of employment.

Note Page  The organization and purpose of the everyday family life changed. City life and factory work were harsh for many people. Extreme and discriminating working conditions existed. Often, men competed with women and children for wages or pay. Children were paid so little that using them as labor (wage factory workers) kept the costs of production (the making of goods and services) low and the profits (the positive yield got from a job after all of the expenses are paid) high. The owners of mines and factories had huge control over the lives of their laborers. Some owners even controlled where their workers lived and shopped.

Question Why do you think that the working classes became frustrated with their working conditions? What things make up working conditions?

Question Name three safety precautions in any building(s) that exist today that you know did not exist in factories during the 1800’s.

Question  List some environmental pollutions that you suppose might have been pollutions during the Industrial Revolution. Think about the factories and how the machines were powered.

Note Page  Labor unions, or associations of wage-earners uniting for the purpose of maintaining and improving the conditions of their employment, encouraged worker-organized strikes (work stoppages caused by a mass refusal of employees to work). The strikes were meant to get management (often the owners of the factories and/or the factory bosses) to negotiate and listen to demands for increased wages and improved working conditions. The labor unions also lobbied (used political negotiations) for laws to improve the lives of workers, including women and children. Labor unions wanted workers’ rights (such as a fair wage and safe environment). They also fought for collective bargaining (a process of negotiations between employers and a group of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions) between labor and management.

Question  What do you know about labor unions today?

Note Page  Not surprisingly, the Industrial Revolution also saw the rise in the fight for social changes for slaves, children and women. The cotton gin had increased demand for slave labor on American plantations. The widespread use of slaves came to be seen by many around the world as an abomination. Ultimately, both the United States and Great Britain outlawed the slave trade and then slavery. Reforms were also introduced to end child labor. Women began to demand the right to vote (suffrage).

Question  Why do you suppose the invention of the cotton gin, a device to make work easier, would actually increase the demand for slaves?

Industrialization Conditions (Causes) Graphic Organizer  Create the following graphic in your notes.

Industrialization Effects Graphic Organizer  Create the following graphic in your notes.

Update the Chart for Political Effects of Industrialization Effects of Industrialization EconomicSocialPolitical Trade Unions formed Social Reform Movements: Anti- Slavery, women’s suffrage Call to end Child Labor New Political Philosophies: Socialism, Communism

Capitalism and the Opposition  New Note Page

Note Page  Capitalism and market competition fueled the Industrial Revolution. Capitalism emerged as a dominant economic pattern.

Note Page  What is capitalism?   It was an idea first talked about by economist Adam Smith in his book entitled Wealth of Nations. Capitalism refers to an economic system based on a free market, open competition, profit motive and private ownership of the means of production (agrarian society-soil, shovel; industrial society-mine and factory). Capitalism encourages private investment and business, compared to a government-controlled economy. Investors in these private companies (i.e. shareholders) also own the firms and are known as capitalists. In a capitalist or free market or free enterprise system, individuals and firms have the right to own and use wealth to earn income (entrepreneurial ability) and to sell and purchase labor for wages with little or no government control (market competition). The government takes a “laissez-faire” or “hands-off” or “let it be” approach to business enterprise and allows that the regulating of the economy is then achieved mainly through the operation of market forces where prices and profit dictate where and how resources are used and allocated.

Note Page  Industrialization through capitalism had improved the overall standard of living for some. It also saw the growth of the middle class. However, the social dislocation (class change due to increased/decreased wealth and/or education, etc.) associated with capitalism produced a range of economic and political ideas, including socialism and communism. Ultimately, dissatisfaction with poor working conditions and the unequal distribution of wealth in society are what led to the development of socialism and communism. Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto (written with Friedrich Engels) and Das Kapital are considered the defining works of socialism and communism.

Note Page  So what are socialism and communism?   Socialism is an economic and political system based on public or collective ownership of the means of production. Socialism emphasizes equality rather than achievement, and values workers by the amount of time they put in rather than by the amount of value they produce. It also makes individuals dependent on the state for everything from food to health care. While capitalism is based on a price system, profit and loss, and private property rights, socialism is based on governmental central planning and collective ownership. Proponents of socialism believe that it creates equality and provides economic security and that capitalism is an inferior system that exploits workers for the benefit of a small, wealthy class. Critics of socialism believe that it is based on faulty principles and ignores human nature and the role of incentives in economic transactions. 

Note Page  Communism is a political and economic philosophy based on communal ownership and the absence of class. Communism, which can be thought of as capitalism's opposite, says that in a capitalist society, the working class (the proletariat) is exploited by the ruling class (the bourgeoisie). While based on a Utopian ideal of equality and abundance, as expressed by the slogan, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need," communism in practice has only existed under authoritarian government (defined by blind submission to authority). Communists see the redistribution of wealth as critical to society functioning smoothly. 

Questions  What political system is at work in present day USA?  What political system is at work in present day North Korea and Cuba?

Homework:  Use your note pages to complete the Effects of Industrialization Chart in your notes.  You have only completed the Political Effects.  Update the Economic and Social Effects as well.