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Reforming the Industrial World 9.4 Part I
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Laissez-faire: Economy and its market that functions w/o gov’t regulation or intervention “let it be” in French The Philosophers of Industrialization
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Grew from the Enlightenment era Thought that gov’t tariffs on foreign goods interfered w/ the production of wealth Free trade w/o gov’t intervention = economy would prosper Laissez-faire Economics
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Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations (1776) Argued that economic freedom guaranteed economic progress ∴ gov’t should not interfere Smith backed his argument using the 3 natural laws of economics: 1.The law of self-interest – ppl work for their OWN good 2.The law of competition – competition drives companies to produce a better product 3.The law of supply and demand – enough goods supplied at the lowest possible price to meet the market demand Laissez-faire Economics
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Smith’s ideas were the basis for the economic system called capitalism: Economic system where the factors of production are privately owned + industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. These ideas helped to bring about the industrial revolution. Capitalism
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Thomas Malthus: An Essay on the Principle of Population (1789) Argued that the population increased faster than the food supply ∴ wars/epidemics needed to kill off the extra ppl who would be poor and starve David Ricardo: Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (1817) Believed that there would always be a poor lower class In a free market, the abundant # of workers and resources means labor and supplies are cheap ∴ as population increased, wages would decrease (law of supply and demand) Believed that gov’t should NOT intervene to help the poor working class b/c it would upset the free market system Other Industrial Revolution Economists
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Jeremy Bentham introduced the philosophy of utilitarianism in the late 1700s: Ppl should judge ideas, institutions, + actions on the basis of their utility, or usefulness. Promote the greatest good for the greatest # of ppl Pursue goals w/o gov’t intervention for the most part Utilitarianism
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John Stuart Mill – led the 1800s utilitarian mvm’t Started questioning capitalism felt that workers should be allowed better lives Started pushing for reforms in the work place, with women’s rights, of the prison system, education Sought to close the wealth gap Utilitarianism
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Utopia the “perfect” society British factory owner, Robert Owen, aimed to improve working conditions for his workers Built houses near his factory in England that could be rented at very low costs Provided free schooling + did not allowed children under 10 to work. Built a similar community in the U.S. + called it New Harmony, IN Utopian Ideas
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New Harmony, IN
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Other theorists like Chalres Fourier and Saint-Simon, argued that the gov’t should intervene to improve ppl’s lives Solution Socialism: Gov’t ownership of the factors of production to get rid of the ills of industrialization Optimistic view of human nature Gov’t should plan and regulate the economy and own all industries ∴ business owners can’t take advantage of workers The Rise of Socialism
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Karl Marx: German journalist who introduced the world to Marxism Together, Marx and Frederich Engels outlined their ideas in The Communist Manifesto Written in response to the horrendous conditions in factories Blamed the system of industrial capitalism for the terrible conditions Their solution to problem was a new social system- eventually known as communism Marxism
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Argued that all of history was a “history of class struggles” Oppressors vs. oppressed is a constant throughout history Oppressors: “Haves,” own means to production Land, raw materials and money Oppressed: “Have nots,” dependent on the owners of the means of production, endured back breaking work while oppressors became wealthy. “Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.” Bourgeoisie- the middle/upper class (oppressors). Proletariat-working class (oppressed). The Communist Manifesto
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Believed that the capitalist system would destroy itself. Struggle between proletariat + bourgeoisie will eventually lead to a revolution. All small companies would be driven out of business + a small # of big companies would control all wealth. BUT proletariat would then overthrow bourgeoisie Take control of the factories + abolish economic differences that create separate social classes -End up with a classless society and no gov’t The Future According to Marx
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Marx: Pure communism is when all means of production are controlled by all of the ppl There would be no ownership of private property All land, factories, mines, railroads, business etc would be owned by all of the ppl All goods and services shared equally Communism
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Labor Unions and Reform Laws The Reform Movement Spreads 9.4 Part II
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By the 1800s workers were getting into politics Started to form labor unions: Voluntary labor associations used to express the collective concerns of the labor population Labor Unions and Reform Laws
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Union spoke for ALL workers in a particular trade Engaged in collective bargaining: Negotiations b/w workers and their employers Worked for better working conditions and pay When factory owners refused to cooperate union member could go on strike: Collective refusal to work until negotiations are reached Skilled workers led the union mvm’t b/c they had more bargaining power. Unionization
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Slowly unionization picked up in G.B. and the U.S. BUT Combination Acts of 1799 and 1800 Outlawed unions + strikes in Great Britain British factory workers unionized anyways, Combination Acts finally repeal in 1824. Gained ground in wage increases, better working conditions, and shorter hours over time. Same in U.S. Unionization
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Labor unions forced gov’t to look into the abuses that industrialization caused The British Parliament started looking into child labor and working conditions in mines Factory Act 1833: Made it illegal to hire children under the age of 9 ages 9-12 couldn’t work over 8 hrs 13-17 couldn’t work more than 12 hrs Mines Act (1842): Children + women couldn’t work underground. Reform Laws
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From the beginning of the IR, reform mvm’t rose in response to the poor working conditions Seeking the right to vote for working class men and women in general Sought an end to slavery The Reform Movement Spreads
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William Wilberforce (member of Parliament) led the abolition mvm’t in England Parliament passed a bill in 1807 to end the slave trade 1833 Britain abolished slavery completely w/ the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. The Abolition of Slavery
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Earned higher wages than work they did at home BUT only earned 1/3 the salary as their male coworkers Worked for the abolition of slavery and to gain voting rights The Fight for Women’s Rights
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