<< Hide Menu
AMSCO 5.8 Reactions to the Industrial Economy Notes
1 min read•june 18, 2024
Topic 5.8
📍Topic 5.8 Reactions to the Industrial Economy
📖 AMSCO p.332 - p.338
Main Idea
Key Timeline
Courtesy of Lauren Hamlette
Things to Know
Britain
- Low wages, unsanitary conditions and long hours were prevalent in factories.
- Workers began to form labor unions, gaining rights such as:
- Minimum wage
- Limit on work hours
- Five-day work week
- Overtime pay
- Suffrage for men who did not own property
- Ban on children under 10 working in coal mines
- Mandated education for children aged 5 to 10
- John Stuart Mill, a utilitarian, was influential in promoting safe work conditions, labor unions, and bans on child labor.
Karl Marx
- Karl Marx defended socialism and eventually wrote the Communist Manifesto
- He argued for a few key points, including:
- Capitalism is a new form of feudalism that creates excessive wealth at the expense of unnecessary suffering and poverty
- The working class should take control of the means of production
- Capitalism will be replaced by socialism and then by communism
Ottoman Empire/Turkey
- Mahmud II made several reforms
- Abolition of janissaries and the feudal system
- Use of taxes to fund the government
- Creation of roads and postal service
- Tanzimat reforms included:
- End to government corruption
- Creation of secular primary and secondary education for boys
- Hatt-i Humayun Laws
- Equality for men of all religions and ethnicities in government and education
- Regulation of religious courts
- Loss of right to handle money and property for women
- Some women eventually gained rights to education
- Several groups protested against reforms, including the Young Turks
- The government took several severe methods to put down dissent
- Armenians, Assyrian Christians, and other minorities were persecuted
- More than 100,000 Armenians were massacred by the government
China
- Self-Strengthening Movement and Hundred Days of Reform pushed Chinese military and industrial advancement, and created new government systems
- European powers also encouraged industrial development in China
- The Boxer Rebellion was a protest against increasing foreign influence in China
Japan
- In Japan, samurai were abolished
- Some samurai protested
- New schools were created, increasing literacy rates
- Japan underwent rapid industrialization
- Gained free press and labor unions
Terms to Remember
| Term | Definition + Significance |
| Tanzimat | Reorganization and reform of the Ottoman government after the reforms of Mahmud II. These reforms were made in an effort to modernize and industrialize the country, including an end to corruption and creation of education in primary and secondary schools. This represented the Ottomans aligning themselves more with Europe and the West. |
| Self-Strengthening Movement | This was a movement in China that aimed to make China competitive with foreign powers by adopting Western strategy—military technological advancement, new training for Chinese artisans, and increased trade with the West. Overall, the movement was successful until China’s defeat in war by Japan. |
| Hundred Days of Reform | This movement followed the Sino-Japanese war, and involved a series of governmental and industrial reforms in China. This included an end to the civil service exam and governmental corruption, and the creation of industrial, commercial, and medical systems modeled after the West. These reforms were mostly unsuccessful due to the interference of Dowager Empress Cixi; however this failure was a later motivation for the Chinese Revolution. |
| Communism | This is an economic system developed by Karl Marx, aiming to abolish all class distinctions. Marx says that the proletariat (working class) will usurp the bourgeoisie (owning class) to own the means of production, and distribute all wealth fairly. This idea went on to spark many movements and revolutions across the world. |
| Utilitarianism | This is the concept that all decisions should be made to promote the ‘greatest good for the greatest number of people’. Many utilitarians supported better wages and working conditions in factories. These ideals contributed to the success of labor unions in gaining more protections in their work. |
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.