Political Trends and Social Changes in the
19th Century
• The 19th century saw significant social and economic
changes, including the rise of new cities,
industrialization, and the Industrial Revolution.
• Industrialization led to long work hours, poor wages,
and unemployment, especially during low demand
periods.
• Housing and sanitation issues arose due to rapid
growth of towns.
• Liberals and radicals sought solutions to these issues,
advocating for individual effort, labour, and enterprise.
• Many working people rallied around liberal and radical
groups in the early 19th century for global change.
• Nationalists, liberals, and radicals sought revolutions
to end the governments established in Europe in 1815.
• Nationalists envisioned revolutions that would create
"nations" with equal rights for all citizens.
Socialism and Society's Future Visions
• Socialism, a mid-nineteenth-century European
ideology, aimed to structure society against
private property.
• Socialists argued that individual ownership of
productive property led to social ills.
• They advocated for a society where collective
social interests were prioritized over individual
property control.
• Socialists had varied visions of the future,
including the concept of cooperatives.
• Robert Owen, an English manufacturer,
advocated for the creation of a cooperative
community, New Harmony.
• Others, like Louis Blanc in France, advocated for
government encouragement of cooperatives to
replace capitalist enterprises.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' Perspectives on
Industrial Societies
• Marx argued industrial society was capitalist,
with capitalists owning factories and profit
produced by workers.
• Engels argued workers needed to overthrow
capitalism and private property rule.
• Marx proposed a socialist society where all
property was socially controlled, a communist
society.
• He believed workers would triumph[a great
victory or achievement] in their conflict with
capitalists, and a communist society was the
future's natural society.
Socialist Movement in Europe: 1870s to 1914
• Spread of socialist ideas in Europe led to the
formation of the Second International.
• Workers in England and Germany formed
associations for better living and working
conditions.
• They set up funds for members in distress and
demanded reduced working hours and voting
rights.
• In Germany, these associations collaborated
with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) to win
parliamentary seats.
• By 1905, socialists and trade unionists formed
Labour Party in Britain and Socialist Party in
France.
• Despite their influence, governments remained
dominated by conservatives, liberals, and
radicals.Fig2 Paris Commune of 1871: A Historical
Perspective
• The Paris Commune of 1871 was a popular uprising in
March and May 1871.
• The uprising was led by a "peoples" government,
including workers, ordinary people, professionals, and
political activists.
• The uprising emerged amid growing discontent
against French state policies.
• Despite being crushed by government troops, the
Paris Commune was celebrated globally as a precursor
to a socialist revolution.
• The Commune is remembered for its association with
the workers' red flag and the "Marseillaise," a symbol of
the struggle for liberty.
Industrial Workplace Disparities and Struggles
• Industrialists owned most industries, with government supervision for
minimum wages and work hours.
• Workdays varied from 10-12 hours in craft units to 15 hours in factories.
• Workers were divided by social status, skill, and occupation.
• Women made up 31% of factory labor force by 1914, but paid less than men.
• Workers' divisions were evident in dress and manners.
• Some workers formed associations for assistance during unemployment or
financial hardship.
• Despite divisions, workers often unite to strike when disagreeing with
employers about dismissals or work conditions.
• Strikes occurred frequently in textile and metal industries during 1896-1897
and 1902.
Peasant Land Ownership and Disrespect in Russia
• Peasants cultivated most land in the countryside, while nobles, crown, and
Orthodox Church owned large properties.
• Peasants were religious but had little respect for the nobility.
• Nobles' power and position were derived from their services to the Tsar, not
local popularity.
• Peasants in Russia wanted noble land, often refusing rent and murdering
landlords.
• Large-scale incidents occurred in 1902 and 1905 across Russia.
There was another aspect in which Russian peasants differed from those of
other European countries. Periodically, they combined their land, and their
community (mir) split it up based on each family's needs.
. Russia's Socialism: A Historical Overview
• Due to government enforcement, the Russian Social Democratic Workers
Party, which was established in 1898, was an unlawful organization.
• The party planned strikes and organized labor unions.
Certain Russian socialists felt that their ancestors' practice of dividing land
naturally rendered them socialists.
• The Socialist Revolutionary Party was established in 1900 with the goal of
transferring land from nobility to the peasantry.
• Lenin argued for discipline and control over the quantity and quality of
members, while Social Democrats and Socialist Revolutionaries held different
opinions about peasants.
• Regarding its organizational strategy, the party was split; some supported
transparency similar to that of Germany.
