Prüfungsvorbereitung Geschichte

Prüfungsvorbereitung Geschichte

History exam preparation

Important terms

capitalism	an economic system in which a country’s businesses and industry are controlled and run for profit by private owners rather than by the government: the growth of industrial capitalism in the West
industrialisation	The development of industry on a large scale. Industrialism is an economic system that is based on industry and the mass production of consumer goods.
republic	a country that is governed by a president and politicians elected by the people and where there is no king or queen
factory	a building or group of buildings where goods are made
urbanization	It means the growth of cities, brought about by a population shift from rural areas and small communities to large ones, and the change from a largely agricultural economy to an industrial one.
laisser-faire economics	the policy of allowing private businesses to develop without government control
labour / trade union	An organization of workers, usually in a particular industry, that exists to protect their interests, improve conditions of work, etc..
means of production	things needed for manufacturing: in Marxism, the raw materials, tools, machinery, and other necessities required in the manufacturing process
industrial revolution	the period in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and the US when machines began to be used to do work, and industry grew rapidly
working class	the social class whose members do not have much money or power and are usually employed to do manual work (physical work using their hands)

Theory

2.1 Great Britain – The first industrial society (p. 24-26)

The industrial revolution

This was in the second half of the 18th century

• most people worked as farmers
• made most of their clothing, furniture and tools themselves
• local craftsmen made the goods that people could not produce themselves (e.g. ploughs) in small workshops by hand or with simple tools or machines
• textile mills used waterpower to drive the machines (small factories)
• with time, better machinery was developed and work was better organized
• In the 1770s, a new source of power was introduced to drive the cotton-spinning machinery. It was called the steam engine .
• this technology marked the beginning of the industrial revolution
• it became possible to make large amounts of cloth in less time and for less money, and this resulted in extreme productivity growth
• by the early 19th century, merchants were transporting mass-produced cloth to far-away customers by railway and steamship, and the prices goods fell dramatically
• As industry grew, so did the towns in the Midlands and North of England where they were based (Manchester (cotton), Leeds and Bradford (wool), Sheffield (iron, steel), and Birmingham all became industrial centers).

Changes in agriculture

• larger farms were developed so that larger areas of land could be cultivated
• with the development of new farm machinery, intensive manuring and crop rotation farmers were able to produce much larger amounts of feed to growing urban population

Working in factories

• no laws regulating work
• dangerous machinery -> workers were often seriously injured
• work long hours, often through the night
• child labour -> cheap, did not argue or complain, small enough to work in-between machines
• children were beaten and paid very small wages
• in 1833, the British government passed a Factory Act, which improved conditions for children working in textile factories

Early Trade unions

• In the 18th century, workers in different industries began to join together -> they formed local “friendly societies” and “trade clubs”, where members could pay a little money and get insurance against illness or unemployment.
• some societies actively campaigned to raise wages, protect jobs and improve working conditions -> but British governments were strongly against these so-called trade unions
• The Combination Acts of 1799 and 1800 were laws that made it illegal for workers to join together and take action against their employers.
• after the government repealed the laws in 1825, new unions were founded, but employers reacted by locking out union members and hiring non union-members
• In the early 1860s, new national trade unions for skilled workers successfully fought for higher wages, shorter working hours and better working conditions -> millions of unskilled workers in industry and servants in households (especially women) were not so lucky -> their wages and working conditions did not improve much until the 20th century.

cause-and-effect diagram

2.2 Life in British Towns (p. 26-28)

Population growth and urban growth

During the period of industrialization, the population grew rapidly and towns and cities became bigger as people moved from the countryside. The wages in mills and factories were better and children could earn money. However, the housing situation for workers in the towns was bad:

Housing Quality	Water Quality	Sewage (water disposal)	Air Quality	Disease
Lack of toiletsAirless, smelly, dampCrowded	Water from pitsNo sufficient water supplyDead animals in water Only for a couple of hours	Ashes, garbage, filth on streetsThere is no sewage systemSewage water in the streets, rivers…	DampNo fresh airCoal leads to polluted air Forms of cancer, asthma, damage of the airial ways, chronic coughing	AlcoholismDiarrheaCholera typhus

British society and industry around 1900

• Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee -> 60 years as Queen in 1897
• Britain was the most urbanized country in the world
• in 1851, half the population lived in a town or city -> in 1901 three-quarters of the population
• By 1900, the USA had become the world’s industrial powerhouse and Germany was also challenging Britain’s position
• But no country was as specialized as Britain in manufacturing: in 1901, less than ten per cent of its labour force worked in agriculture. They imported most of their wheat (75%) from the USA and Russia.
• Food and industrial raw materials from around the globe were paid for by exports of manufactured goods and, increasingly, services such as shipping, insurance and banking.

Prentice Hall: “Britain leads the way”

Britain had been the first nation to industrialize. Its success becomes the model for other countries, in Europe and around the world.

Why did the industrial revolution begin in Britain?

• Resources
  • large supplies of coal to power steam engines
  • plentiful iron to build the new machines
  • the agricultural revolution of the 1600s and 1700s freed many people in Britain from farm labor and led to a population boom
• New Technology
  • plenty of skilled mechanics who were eager to meet the growing demand for new, practical inventions
  • Technology was an important part, but it did not cause it (Greeks or Chinese had advanced technology, but did not move)
  • only when other necessary conditions existed, including demand and capital, did technology gave the way for industrialization
• Economic Conditions
  • From the mid 1600s to 1700s, trade from a growing overseas empire helped the British economy to prosper
  • beginning with the slave trade, the business class accumulated capital, or wealth to invest in enterprises such as shipping, mines, railroads, and factories -> many were ready to risk their capital in new ventures
  • the population explosion boosted demand for goods
• Political and Social Conditions
  • stable government that supported economic growth
  • strong navy to protect its empire and overseas trade
  • although the upper class tended to look down on business people, it did not reject the wealth produced by the new entrepreneurs
  • religions -> thrift and hard work
  • People focused more on worldly concerns than on the afterlife. Thus, risk takers such as inventors and bankers felt free to devote their energies to material achievements.

rural: bäuerlich, ländlich

craftsmen: Handwerker

Handwerksbetrieb

Energiequelle

Dampfmaschine

Düngen

Fruchtfolge

städtische

Lohn

Gewerbe

Versicherung

aussperren

einstellen

Arbeitskräfte

befreien

eifrig

blühen

angehäuft

sparsam

verwenden

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