Growth+of+Middle+Class

= __Growth of the Middle Class__ = //An expanding middle class of professional workers developing a modern sense of class consciousness transformed European and US industrial societies.// by Conor Westphal and Shawn Vettom

__The Middle Class for AP Students __ //aka: A Summary//

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the class system in England was loose, undefined, and relatively unnecessary. At the top of the pyramid stood the Aristocrats, ranging from King down to lesser peers, who almost always lived off of the rents collected on their lands. Then came the gentry: they might not have titles, but they were wealthy enough to live more or less leisured lives off of their rents. Next came the professionals: lawyers, doctors, soldiers, shopkeepers: people who had to work for their living, but were still highly educated, probably descended from a peer or at least a member of the gentry, and worked highly skilled jobs. At the base of the pyramid stood a very large "working class." These were, for the most part, the yeomen, farmers who did not own their own land, or servants, working for upper-class, and even middle-class, households. They were poor, but could get by on what they had.

By 1880 London was the largest European city with 4,470 (thousands) of people, followed by Paris with 2,269. By 1910, London’s population swelled to 7,256 while the figures for Paris represent a very modest gain totaling 2,888, only slightly higher than Berlin and Vienna. The rise of cities was tied to industrialization as well as the ancillary growth of support enterprises such as department stores, professional establishments (doctors), banks and commercial enterprises, expanding educational facilities, and transportation.

As the industrial revolution progressed, new social classes were created as a result of industrialization. The so called "Captains of Industry" were the wealthy upper class, the middle class were managers, accountants, and other professionals, and of course, the working class: unskilled and vulnerable laborers. The growth of a middle class both in the United States and certain European societies can be attributed to several factors. The move toward urbanization, the “new” or second Industrial Revolution, and increased consumerism all played significant roles in middle class development. In some countries this was more rapid, such as in England, known as a nation of “shop-keepers and merchants.” The middle class also acted as a buffer between the wealthy owners of production, the “chimney aristocrats” whose new money fortunes rivaled the older noble classes, and the working class.

The Industrial Revolution was a social triumph for the middle class over the nobility and upper class.

__The Middle Class for Everyone Else __ //aka: A Summary of the Summary//


 * Before the Revolution[[image:http://notsodismal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/84comm6jpg.jpeg align="right" caption="Captains of Industry"]]
 * In Britain, there were many social classes
 * Loose, undefined social structure
 * Top = Wealthy, Aristocrats, Those in Power
 * Next = Gentry: Collected Rent, etc
 * Professionals = Lawyers, Doctors, Soldiers, etc
 * Bottom = Poor, Laborers, Working Class
 * During/After Revolution
 * 3 Social Classes
 * Upper Class - "Captains of Industry", Wealth
 * Middle Class - Professionals
 * Working Class - Laborers
 * Middle Class grew significantly
 * England = "Nation of Shop-keepers and Merchants"


 * Roles of the Middle Class
 * Earned their money, but didn't do much manual labor
 * Professionals, Practitioners, and Merchants
 * Buffer between Lower and Upper Class
 * Large role in society

Sources:

Hooker, Richard. "The Industrial Revolution in the Eighteenth Century." //The European Enlightenment: The Industrial Revolution//. WSU.edu, 1996. Web. 10 Mar 2010. .

Streich, Michael. "The Middle Class in the Late 19th Century." //suite101.com//. N.p., 14 02 2009. Web. 10 Mar 2010. .

Gascoigne, Bamber. “History of the Industrial Revolution” HistoryWorld. N.p., 2001. Web. 10 Mar 2010 

Thanks for reading!