HIST363 Study Guide


Unit 5: The Social and Political Impact of Industrialization

5a. Describe how the growth of industry led to increased urbanization in Europe

  • John Merriman discusses how European cities differ from American cities in the way that social classes inhabit those cities. What does he say about this? How did industrialization change the way European cities were structured?
  • In what ways did industrialization and urbanization go hand-in-hand in 19th century Europe.
  • What role did the labor of women and children play in the Industrial Revolution?

Industrialization in Europe helped intensify the urbanization of European society, as more factories and industrial production moved from the countryside and city periphery into the urban centers. Factory owners preferred this centralization since it promoted a sort of social control of the working classes, who may have had more independence if they had lived further from their workplace.

During this time, successful working class entrepreneurs and small businessmen began to emerge as an expanding urban middle class. These individuals were not part of the traditional aristocracy or the peasant or working classes, but created their own new middle class culture.

Industrialization also meant many families had to supplement their meager wages through the employment of women and children. Women were still responsible for running the household: those who were employed outside the home primarily worked as domestic servants, but some worked in factories, especially if they were unmarried. In addition, children were often needed to supplement the family income as factory workers.

Review Nineteenth Century Cities by John Merriman, Women's Work in the Industrial Revolution (at 16:29), and Childhood and Child Labour in the British Industrial Revolution by Jane Humphries.


5b. Analyze the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the politics and ideologies of the middle and working class

  • What characteristics distinguished the Victorian middle class from the working class and aristocracy in England?
  • Describe the socioeconomic values the expanding English middle class held in the 19th century.
  • How did the passage of the Reform Acts expand political participation and enfranchisement of the English middle class during the 19th century? 
  • Describe some of the ideas of the Utopian Socialists. In what way were they a reaction to the industrialization of European society in the 19th century?
  • Define Chartism. What reforms did the Chartists seek to enact? Why did Chartism decline?

Industrialization in England created a new and expanding middle class that created a unique social identity based on the concept of merit, rather than privilege and inheritance. Many began to encourage a new belief in personal and social progress. The emerging middle-class valued principles of competition, thrift, prudence, self-reliance, and personal achievement. They also emphasized personal responsibility, freedom of action, and individual self reliance as avenues to success. These values were distinct from the social norms of the aristocracy, which were based on privilege, hierarchy, and social class status.

In the early 1800's, utopian socialists were a group of philosophers who envisioned creating a futuristic utopian society built on principles of community, socialism, and classlessness.

For example, Robert Owen (1771–1858), a wealthy Welsh textile manufacturer, championed the working class, led the development of cooperatives, and supported trade unions, child labor laws, and free co-educational schools. Charles Fourier (1772–1837), a French utopian socialist, advocated for a society based on natural passions to foster social harmony. He supported the emancipation of women and coined the word féminisme in 1837.

The Reform Act of 1832 gave English middle class men the right to vote, but disenfranchised members of the working class. Chartism was the English political movement 1836–1848 that advocated for the rights of the working class. The Second Reform Act of 1867, the 1884 bill, and the 1885 Redistribution Act expanded the right to vote to even more men, so that voting became a right rather than the property of the privileged. English women did not obtain the right to vote until 1918.

Review this material in:


5c. Discuss the causes, spread, and events of the Revolutions of 1848

  • While a single cause or event did not trigger the Revolutions of 1848, the countries where they occurred did share some similarities. Discuss the motivations for revolution in France, the area that is now Germany, Italy, and the Austrian Empire.
  • What was the Congress of Vienna? What role did economic issues, the French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution play in the Revolutions of 1848?
  • Why were there no revolutions in England and Russia during this time period?

The Revolutions of 1848 were a complex series of events, unique to each European country that experienced them. At their core, the protesters were inspired by the political ideals of the French Revolution. They protested various issues, such as the price of grain, economic hardship, harsh working conditions, and petitioned for the right to vote.

These revolutionaries opposed the repressive conservatism that pervaded France after the final defeat of Napoleon and the terms of the Congress of Vienna. Their leaders also protested the industrialization of labor and were influenced by the rise of various socialist movements. But, many of the participants – the working classes and newly developed bourgeoisie – had different goals and they rarely united in their opposition to conservatism and monarchism. Consequently, the revolutions failed.

England avoided revolution – largely due a greater sense of political legitimacy among the public. The Reform Act of 1832 had given middle class men the right to vote, the Chartist movement provided a way for ordinary people to petition their grievances, and trade unions had formed to protect the health and welfare of the working classes. Meanwhile, the Russian monarchy and state were able to suppress the peasant and working classes who tried to organize against them.

Review Nineteenth Century Cities by John Merriman, Chartism by James Chastain and French Economic Situation 1847-1852 by Yvonne Crewbow.


5d. Compare primary source documents to explain the ideals and goals of the Revolutions of 1848

  • Using primary source documents, discuss the ideals, goals and achievements of the Revolutions of 1848. What did the revolutionaries hope to achieve? Why did they fail?

It is difficult to define one particular reason for the Revolutions of 1848, because the outbreak of rebellion was different in each country and motivations were unique to each. The revolts primarily resulted from a food crisis and famine that began in 1846, coupled with various political aspirations. While some members of the working class participated, the bourgeois or middle classes led the rebellions to protest the privileges of monarchy.

The leaders aimed to create republican or constitutional governments with universal male suffrage and limited government. Many of these revolts were liberal rebellions against monarchical governments which the Congress of Vienna and Klemens von Metternich (1773–1859), the Austrian diplomat, had reimposed following the defeat of Napoleon. Nationalism played a major role, particularly by the German and Italian liberals who sought German and Italian unification.

Review this material in the Documents of the Revolution of 1848 in France, A Look Back at 1848 by Carl Schurz, and Conservative Resistance to Revolution in France by Steven Kale.


Unit 5 Vocabulary

  • Charles Fourier
  • Chartism
  • Congress of Vienna
  • Napoleon Bonaparte
  • Reform Acts
  • Revolutions of 1848
  • Robert Owens
  • Utopian Socialism