chp 17

I.     There was a massive increase in output as industrialization took hold in Britain.

a.     rapid development of railroad systems

b.     much of the dramatic increase was in mining, manufacturing, and services

c.     agriculture became less important by comparison (in 1891, agriculture generated only 8 percent of British 
national income)

d.     vast transformation of daily life

                                               i.     it was a traumatic process for many

                                             ii.     different people were affected in different ways

II.  The British Aristocracy

a.     landowning aristocrats had little material loss in the Industrial Revolution

b.     aristocracy declined, because urban wealth became more important

                                               i.     many businessmen, manufacturers, and bankers were enriched

                                             ii.     aristocrats had declining political clout

                                            iii.     by 1900, businessmen led the major political parties

c.     titled nobles retained great social prestige and personal wealth a. many found an outlet in Britain’s colonial possessions

III.                  The Middle Classes

a.     the middle classes had the most obvious gains from industrialization

b.     upper middle class: some became extremely wealthy, bought into aristocratic life

c.     middle class: large numbers of smaller businessmen and professionals

                                               i.     politically liberal

                                             ii.     stood for thrift, hard work, rigid morals, and cleanliness

                                            iii.     Samuel Smiles, Self-Help (1859): individuals are responsible for their own destiny

                                            iv.     middle-class women were more frequently cast as homemakers, wives, and mothers

d.     lower middle class: service sector workers (clerks, secretaries, etc.)

                                               i.     by 1900, around 20 percent of Britain’s population were lower middle-class

                                             ii.     employment opportunities for women as well as men

IV. The Laboring Classes

a.     in the nineteenth century, about 70 percent of Britons were workers

b.     laboring classes suffered most/benefited least from industrialization

c.     rapid urbanization

                                               i.     by 1851, a majority of Britain’s population was urban

                                             ii.     by 1900, London was the largest city in the world (6 million)

d.     horrible urban conditions

                                               i.     vast overcrowding

                                             ii.     inadequate sanitation and water supplies

                                            iii.     epidemics

                                            iv.     few public services or open spaces

                                             v.     little contact between the rich and the poor

e.     industrial factories offered a very different work environment

                                               i.     long hours, low wages, and child labor were typical for the poor

                                             ii.     what was new was the routine and monotony of work, direct supervision, discipline

                                            iii.     industrial work was insecure

                                            iv.     many girls and young women worked