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The most confident and emphatic class was the middle classThe greatest of the bankers, industrialists, and merchants made up the top of the pecking orderOffice clerks, schoolteachers, and shopkeepers made up the bottomThese two extremes formed the social division known as the bourgeoisieThe most important part of the middle class: most merchants, upper bureaucrats, and professionalsProfessionals included doctors, lawyers, managers, engineers, and professorsThese peoples attempted to sever their ties to the aristocracy, opposed to their privilege and unearned wealth Saw themselves as the beacons for social welfare and change (Chambers 687)Their occupations tended to be based in cities, and as a result the middle class was an urban classMade up almost 25% of the taxpaying citizens of Paris in the 19th CenturyIn smaller cities, they formed around 15% of the general population (Smith)The Middle Class: Overview

A bourgeoisie with his attendants (Bourgeoisie).Return to Hierarchyhttp://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3460500033&v=2.1&u=ventura&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w7More than seventy percent of all Europeans were still peasantsThey reflected the lower half of traditional societyTheir fates were intertwined with that of the aristocracyThe most important social change of the 19th century was the emancipation of peasants and serfs from manorial obligationManorial Obligation included certain concessions given to the lord as rent, like labor on the lords land or payment to the lord for use for the millThese changes were set in motion with the French Revolution (August 4, 1789) and spread to the rest of Europe with the conquests of Napoleon and the later revolutions of 1848However, this prevented peasants from accessing traditional means of protection against hardshipNo manor meant no common land to farm in case of harvest failure and famine and no common wood to forage for firewoodAllowed peasants to enter the commercial market for the first timePeasant farmers started to produce food for surplus/commerce, not just subsistence for the familyUtilized better machinery and cultivation techniques that allowed for maximum crop output (Chambers 684)The Lower Classes: Peasants

Poorer peasants working in the field (Millet).Return to HierarchyCentered in the least industrial places: the South and Eastern portions of EuropeIn addition, the most powerful aristocrats comprised less than 5% of a nations populationRussia: three hundred seventy thousand aristocrats (1%) governing thirty-three million three hundred thousand serfs (90%) at the turn of the century (Estimated)The tsar of Russia used the aristocrats as a way of subjugating the peasant massesMost land was state-owned, but administered by noblesThis gave the aristocratic class exceptional control over local affairs, making them autonomous over their own land and tyrants to their serfs (Chambers 683)Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Kingdom of Naples): 87,000 (1%) aristocrats managing 5,221,800 (60%) manorial peasants (Estimated)After Napoleon was exiled, the aristocrats of Naples helped in reclaiming the lands for the original kingAs a result, their puppet king, the Bourbon Ferdinand IV, allowed them to be a part of administration (Pappas) The Rich and Powerful

A Russian noble court. Note the affluence in type of clothing. (Russian)Return to Hierarchyhttp://www.thuto.org/ubh/ub/h202/wpop1.htmhttp://www.napoleon-series.org/research/biographies/marshals/Murat/c_Murat1815.html4If the nobility composed a greater part of the population, the pattern was differentIn Poland, Spain, and Hungary, most nobles were poorTheir indecisive position shifted constantly from supporting the government (usually for a title of some sort) or sympathizing with radicals and rebels The Magyars of HungaryProud history as the founders and settlers of Hungary, with a long (and bloody) history (Magyars)Sought to the reinforce their influence through representative government and decentralizationCooperated with political/economic reformersSimilar patterns in northern Italy and BelgiumThe most open-minded were the British aristocratsProved willing to accept liberal programs in exchange for political power1832-1867: 64/100 cabinet members were sons of nobles, and 80% of Parliament considered of nobles or their representativesThe younger nobility were closely tied to the middle class, however (Chambers 683)The Poor and Submissive

(Magyar Noble)Return to Hierarchyhttp://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/magyars.html5The Junkers held the most influence in PrussiaPowerful because of their unwavering position through times of changeCrude by Europeans standards of elegancy, retaining a medieval-esque form of culture from the Middle AgesProud tradition of fierce loyalty and service to their king and the realmTheir actions and values, which were prevalent in Prussian society, were emulated by the common folkFrance is the only European nation where the old aristocracy was reduced to a minor role in politics due to the revolutions of 1830However, the retained their former status in social life and local affairsAll over Europe, the source of the aristocracys power was being put under questionLineage was once a matter state, but now it was only a private matter (Chambers 684)National Differences

A typical Prussian Junker, outside his average home (Junker).Return to HierarchyThe middle classes did not necessarily make up a majority of the population, so their true power was in economics and in societyThe people who comprised the ranks of the middle class controlled much of the trade and commerce that took place within the urban centers of the timeTheir values and styles set the tone for the rest of society (aka the lower classes)The Big Idea: The middle class of this time period all believed that they were self-made (Chambers 688)They valued hard-work, judiciousness, resilience, and self-relianceThey despised the aristocracy for their laziness and contempt for work (Smith)Because of the intermediate social position of this class, it was possible to fall out of itThe middle class had a distinctive social styleThe Home contained ornately crafted furniture and colorful wall decorationsRise of the factory system allowed women of the time to purchase more dresses with ornamental frills and with different colorsAll middle class men work the same, plain garb a symbol of unity (Chambers 687-688)Middle Class Ideology

A middle class woman. Note the ornamental frills of her gown (Woman).Return to HierarchyThe peasants were the most tenacious social group, as they clung on to their old waysOpposed to reformers and change, unless it yielded them with immediate benefitsResented government control: taxes and military serviceThey hungered for land and political powerThe government knew that the peasantrys sheer size could be the deciding factor in revolutions and wars the French Revolution, Spanish resistance, etc. (Chambers 684)Galician Slaughter: an example of the peasant violence that rocked Europe from 1820-1848Centered around the city-sate of Krakow in the Austrian partition of Poland in 1864They were set to lead an insurrection against the government, resulting in independenceInstead of combating this violence directly, the Austrians gave information to the power-hungry peasants of the regionIn exchange for their fighting, the peasants were promised land and goldThe insurrection ultimately failed as a result, but helped add to the kindling toward the revolutions of 1848 (Benarz)Peasant Mentality

Polish peasants and Austrian troops in Galicia exchanging booty for money (Lewicki).Return to Hierarchyhttp://spuscizna.org/spuscizna/1846.html10Fusion of the agrarian and industrial sectors was ongoing c. 1850In Britain: the peasantry was eliminated due to enclosures reducing the peasants to free agent laborersIn France: the peasants owned 30% of arable land, and gradually gaining moreIn Central Europe: Larger farms were consolidated, also reducing them to peasantsIn Germany: Freedom from feudal obligations included a fee to the nearby lordMeanwhile, in RussiaLandowners still held claims to unpaid labor and total control over their serfsThis system was abolished circa 1860 to allow for administrative efficiency (Chambers 684 685)Peasants and ChangeReturn to Hierarchyhttp://spuscizna.org/spuscizna/1846.html11The workers, a minority (even in Britain), were the most notable class of this timeThey indicated a new age, where the employer (who sets the wages) held control over the tasks done and the length of said tasksFrench workers had a special restriction, a passport known as a livret which recorded the past jobs of a personAn entire family would have to be employed because wages were meagerThe workday was long and hard, with occupational hazards (machinery) and fines for the smallest errorThe only free of the working class were the artisansThey were free from guild restrictions after 1848 (Chambers 685-686)The Lower Classes: Workers

Industrial Workers (Factory).Return to Hierarchyhttp://spuscizna.org/spuscizna/1846.html12Workers were usually uneducated and too exhausted to concentrate energy on reformAnyway, after 1824, trade unions were banned everywhere but EnglandLocal originations did form for mutual help, thoughConfraternities (France)/Friendly Societies (Britain)Skilled workers that met in secret with elaborate ritualsIts members would help one another in times of illness or disasterCooperatives began to spring upAttempted to increase the workers control over their livesLabor movements (i.e. strikes) usually petered out after some weeks due to the defenselessness of the working classIn Britain, many trade unions formed because of this conditionOrigination against their common enemy was the only way to defeat itNewspapers, pamphlets calling workers to action became more prevalent during this time (1830s)Common themes: natural rights, pride in work, social justiceThe millions of employed rallied behind radical reformers as hope for the future (Chambers 686-687)Early Labor Movements

The banner of a local friendly society (Tuthill).Return to Hierarchyhttp://spuscizna.org/spuscizna/1846.html13An informative website about 19th Century ParisMore information on friendly societiesThe Role of Women in Urban SocietyA Pictorial view of English Society

All Links Used Under a Fair-Use LicenceLinks for Further ResearchBenarz, Dennis, and Karen Wisniewski. "1846 - The Peasant Uprising." 1846 - The Peasant Uprising. SPUSCIZNA, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Bourgeoisie. Digital image. Louis XIV and France. University of Wisconsin, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Chambers, Mortimer. The Western Experience. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. Print. "Estimated World Population, 1800 - 1950." World Population by Continents 1800. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Factory Workers. Digital image. The Factory System: An Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. . Junker. Digital image. Western Civilization, Reformation to the Present. Cal Poly, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Lewicki, Jan. Rze Galicyjska. 1871. Polish Army Museum, Warsaw. File:Galician Slaughter in 1846.PNG. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Jan. 2009. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Magyar Noble in Gala Dress. Digital image. FIDM Museum. FIDM, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. "Magyars." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Millet. Les Glaneuses. Digital image. Eponine Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Pappas, Dale. "Joachim Murat and the Kingdom of Naples." Joachim Murat and the Kingdom of Naples:1808 1815. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Richardson, N. J. The French Prefectoral Corps, 1814-1830,. Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 1966. Print. Russian Nobility. Digital image. . , n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Sherman, Dennis, and Mortimer Chambers. A Study Guide and Map Supplement for The Western Experience Volume II: Since the Sixteenth Century. New York: McGraw Hill, 1995. Print. Tuthill, C. Bottesford banner. Digital image. The Friendly Society Banner. Bottesford History, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Woman in Gown. Digital image. Reigns. Wordpress, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013. Works CitedReturn to BeginningKevin MacLeodRoyalty Free2012Classical152976.0eng - iTunNORM 00000832 000009B5 00007645 00008C84 0001B438 00020958 00007FFE 00007FFE 00017FD0 00016B48eng - iTunSMPB 00000000 00000210 000009E0 00000000006FFF10 00000000 005D4080 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000eng - Peer Gynt - Act II