Industrialization Dbq Essay

Industrialization primarily occurred between 1760’s to around the 1830’s. During this time period the focus on agricultural gain shifted to a focus on factories and manufacturing goods. As industrialization progressed, there was a higher demand for products, consequently mass production became extremely relevant. Additionally, there was a large influx of new ideas related to factories, jobs, and the social divide. Industrialization in Europe created large disparities between treatment of different social classes and genders. Inequality between wealth, gender, and social class affected the way people were treated during the industrial revolution. Living conditions differed between social classes, the poor lived in horrible conditions. Additionally,

While factory work became more popular within the working class, more stereotypical gender roles were created for the middle class, the bourgeoisie. For example, men should work for the family in order to provide shelter and money. Comparably, women should stay at home and tend the children and provide food. However, even though the work was split there were still numerous disparities politically. As stated in Document 2, women decided to form unions and work together in order to gain the same rights as the men, these women were called feminists. Some goals that the feminists were working toward were “education, property and marital rights, and the vote” (Bonnie Smith). In order to achieve these rights they hoped women had to protest and create their own political groups in order to fight for them. As a result of these movements more women became involved and aware of the inequality they were experiencing first hand. Women in the industrial revolution became motivated after seeing all the freedom, rights, and opportunities men had. Moreover, as seen in Document 4, “Society as whole is more and more splitting up into two hostile camps” ( Karl Marx ). While these stereotypical gender roles helped out during times of need in order to split the work, it just further created the divide between the social classes and genders, women were not immune to this

Living conditions differed dramatically between the working class and the middle class. The middle class’s living quarters were in much better shape than the working class. There was no need to worry about dirty water, space, or affording housing. They often lived in large houses that were fully furnished with lots of space. Since the middle class primarily owned factories they had large amounts of revenue pouring in, allowing them to live extremely luxurious lives. Alternatively, the working class lived in opposite conditions, they constantly had to worry if the water was clean enough for them to drink, if they had enough space without becoming suffocated and if they could afford to stay where they were living. In Document 3, it shows a cartoon image by George Pinwill demonstrating how horrible and disgusting the living conditions of the working class were so unhygienic and filthy that the dirty water, the only water they had access to, caused the spread of dysentery and cholera. Working class citizens often lived in grimey, unfurnished, cramped areas because it was the only thing they could afford.As factory work became more prevalent the social divide also became more prevalent. While the rich were becoming richer the working class had to pick up more jobs and spend less money on necessities to be able to survive. As seen in Document 5, “Between 1815 and 1939 some 50 to 55 million people left Europe for