The 2 nd Industrial Revolution By Coach Nelms

The First I.R. saw the rise of The Second I.R. gave rise to steel chemicals electricity and which led to a whole bunch of other inventions like:

Improvements in Human Life  Europeans could now afford to buy manufactured consumer products because of increased wages & the decreased price in goods  Department stores emerge selling all kinds of goods like clocks, bicycles, electric lights, typewriters, etc…

Improvements in Human Life  Living conditions in the cities improved  Start of building regulations like requiring running water and internal drainage systems  Gas heaters in the 1860s allowed people to take hot baths

Change in Family Life  Birthrate began to decline as babies started to live longer and the advances in birth control  Family values  Ideals of togetherness – Christmas traditions and family picnics  Marriage remained the only honorable and available career for most women (lower class women chose to work to support family)  Lower class women entered the workforce as clerks, typewriters, secretaries, and telephone operators  – family patterns begin to change. Husbands start making more money which allows women to become stay at home moms

The Push for Equality  Feminism - movement for women's rights and woman’s suffrage (the right to vote)  Inspired by the Enlightenment ideas of natural rights  1830s – argued for right to divorce and own property (not successful)  1870 – English women receive right to vote  *It would take the dramatic upheaval of World War I to make male- dominated governments give in to this basic issue of the rights for women  1920 – American women receive right to vote with the 19 th Amendment to US Constitution

The Push for Equality (continued)  Universal Education: School used to be for the wealthy elite class, now governments began to finance (pay for) education => required every boy and girl ages 6-12 to attend school. Saw an increase in literacy rates (# of people who could read/write)  Why would it benefit the country to require their children to receive an education?  Turn to your neighbor and discuss

Leisure Time  This is the first time in history where people actually have “leisure time.”  With so much time at nights and on the weekends, the world starts to see:  Amusement parks  Team sports and professional sports leagues (like baseball, soccer, bowling, and croquet) *Football came in the 1860s