Political Philosophers and the Industrial Revolution

Political Philosophers

• John Locke believed individuals are rational and intelligent, and that society corrupts people
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that society corrupts individuals
• Adam Smith's ideas include the wealth of nations, laissez faire, and profit motive
• JS Mill believed in freedom for everyone
• Montesquieu advocated for separation of powers in government

The Industrial Revolution

• Urbanization was a movement of people from rural areas to cities
• Capitalism is an economic system where means of production are owned privately
• Improved farming methods included dikes for land reclamation, fertilizer, seed drills and crop rotation
• Enclosure Movement involved landowners fencing in land formerly shared by peasants; leading to the displacing of tenants who moved to cities
• Britain's population grew from 5 million in 1700 to 9 million in 1800 with declining death rates

Industrial Revolution: Conditions/Wages

• Factory owners rushed to build housing in densely packed row houses
• Sanitation was poor, disease rates were high
• Work conditions included 12-14 hour days, with only short breaks for lunch, and 6 days per week; with pay being low.
• Children shifted from farm work to factory work with long 12-14 hour days.

Classical Liberalism

• The assembly line prioritizes profit from workers seen as commodities
• Coal powered the industrial revolution and prior to 1842 there were no protection laws regarding age, hours, and conditions
• Women worked in the mines using winlass to lift coal
• Children worked as scavengers and piercers in textile mills

Opposition to Liberalism

• Luddites rioted against textile machinery in protest of losing their jobs.
• Chartists were a working class group advocating for political and social reform

Socialism

• Resources should be controlled by the public, not private businesses and investors
• Cooperation takes precedence over competition
• Socialists reject the large wealth gaps found in 19th-century society. Seeking a more equitable distribution of wealth and humanitarianism.
• Robert Owen's ideas focused on education and improved working conditions for an ideal socialist society

Marxism

• Marx believed that history was primarily driven by class warfare
• The overthrow of capitalism was to occur through a class struggle (the proletariat versus bourgeoisie)
• Marx advocated for scientific socialism or communism in contrast to other forms of socialism
• The state should direct the economy to achieve economic equality and society should be classless

Classical Conservatism

• The concept of "general will" is dangerous and that citizens are not capable of governing themselves.
• Believed in established institutions, run by educated people of society, and the use of these institutions to control the uneducated.
• Uninformed people should not have a say in government
• Only those with experience and wisdom should govern

Russian Revolution

• Monarchism
• 1905's First revolution
• Bloody Sunday
• October Manifesto: gave people the right of representation
• World War I
• Marxism-Leninism
• Proletarian/Bourgeoisie
• Industrialization
• February revolution, radical revolution
• Vladimir Lenin: lead the Bolsheviks

War Communism

• Economic system implemented between 1918-1921 in response to the civil war in Russia.
• Introduced by Lenin to address economic problems from the civil war
• Abandoned due to problems including strikes, demonstrations, riots, and created social distress from the economic hardships.

New Economic Policy

• Allowed private ownership of land and businesses
• Farmers were allowed to sell surpluses for profit

Joseph Stalin

• December 18, 1879 - March 5, 1953
• Assumed the name ‘Stalin,’ means “Man of Steel”
• Fought for the leadership of the Soviet Union
• Created a cult of personality
• Led the USSR into an industrialized nation, ending the New Economic Policy
• Implemented five-year plans
• Conducted purges

Collectivizing Farms

• Private ownership was banned
• Everyone had to voluntarily collectivize farms
• "Kulaks" resisted and were portrayed as greedy
• Millions died in a resulting famine known as the Holodomor

Nazi Germany/Holocaust

• The Nazi party controlled The Reichstag and gained power.
• 100 people were killed for political reasons by SS/Gestapo
• 6 million Jews were killed in The Holocaust.

###The Great Purge

• Purges that mainly took place during the 1930s and were carried out by NKVD
• 10 million people were dealt with violently and were either deported, executed, or put in concentration camps

Nazi Violations of The Treaty of Versailles

• Germany stopped paying reparations
• Began secret rearmament
• Reoccupied and remilitarized the Rhineland

The Nuremberg Laws

• 1935 denaturalization laws that were used as a basis for racial discrimination
• Marriages with German citizens of kindred blood were forbidden.
• Marriages occurring in defiance of the law were void
• Jews were forbidden to display the Reich and national flag

Post-WWI/II

• World Shock
• Arch enemies (secret terms/agreement)
• Appeasement and The Munich Agreement. Issues associated with these concepts include self-determination and The Sudetenland issue.

Cold War

• Allied nations won WWII
• Europe was in disarray after the war
• Old superpowers (USA, UK, USSR) left with debt and needed to help rebuild.
• USSR and USA emerged as the key countries in the world after the war
• US proposed aid called The Marshall Plan

Harry S. Truman (in relation to the Cold War)

• Instituted the Truman Doctrine to help any eastern European country being oppressed or forced by armed minorities gain their freedom.
• Believed in democracy and capitalism for American interests.
• Ordered the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, stating that it was not to force Japan to surrender, but to show the power of the USA.

Soviet Expansion

• Feared widespread acceptance of communism
• Soviet expansion was a key factor in the Cold War
• Stalin used terror and army

Spheres of Influence

• NATO
• Warsaw Pact
• Yalta Conference: Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet to decide how to divide Germany and Europe.
• Potsdam Conference: Churchill, Truman, and Stalin met to discuss postwar issues.

The Atomic Bomb

• The USSR was not satisfied with how they were kept in the dark about the atomic bomb.
• The bomb gave the USA a 5 year head start on the USSR
• Stockpiling of nuclear weapons occurred

Cold War Hysteria

• Communism was a perceived threat, especially in the USA
• Concern over a potential attack by the USSR.
• Paranoia grew in the USA

McCarthyism

• Senator Joseph McCarthy used unsubstantiated claims to condemn those he perceived to be communists.
• Identified as a movement against communism

Imposing Liberalism

• Sometimes imposed by force (i.e invasions to spread liberal values/democracy)
• Economic Reasons (e.g. The EU, World Bank)
• Humanitarian Reasons (e.g. supporting humanitarianism, fighting for human rights for those in non-liberal countries).

Aboriginal Experiences in Canada.

• Initially, first contact between native people and Europeans was friendly and open.
• Natives were dealt with by military diplomats between 1830-1870; replacing military diplomats.
• The DIA (department of Indian Affairs) took a paternalistic viewpoint towards native peoples.
• Natives were settled on reserves.
• Attempts at assimilation led to legislative pieces such as the Indian Act.
• There were treaties involved in settling native peoples on reserves.

Oka Crisis

• Dispute between the reserve and the village concerning the development of a proposed golf course.
• Mohawk Warrior society established a blockades as protest

Economic liberalism (values)

• Competition (e.g., education, talent, and skills = higher pay)
• Individual self-interest
• Free markets
• Economic equality/inequality. Different aspects are described in terms of liberal/egalitarian viewpoints