Cultural Heritage II
The Industrial Revolution
Crystal Palace Exhibition (London, 1851;
see Victoria’s Empire), also
Centennial Exposition (
Industrial Revolution (c. 1750-1900): When, Why, and Where?
1. Agriculture:
2. Technology:
3. Geography:
4. Religion:
5. Philosophy:
6. Economics:
7. Sociology:
8. Military:
9. Medicine:
10. Literature and Art:
Anything else? Discussion?
Philosophical/Economic Background:
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (1776)
David Riccardo (1772-1823): the “iron law of wages.”
Thomas Malthus (1766-1834): Essay on the Principle of Population (1798), population always outpaces food supply.
One consequence: the refusal of the British to aid the Irish during the Potato Famine (at least one million deaths, 1846-50). Discussion?: Could/should the British have acted differently in response to the famine?
Necessity of Profits above Ethical Considerations (Externalization of Costs, Initial Absence of Regulation of Pollution, Safety of Products, Workplace Safety, Security for Workers and Families, Minimum Wages, Child Labor, inadvertent justification of slavery in America).
Discussion?: Can a business be ethical and competitive, or does business success (in the absence of regulation and public scrutiny) require sinking to the lowest common moral denominator?
Cultural Changes Caused by Industrial Revolution:
Social Dislocation (limited family/neighborhood ties, competition for work):
End of Seasons/Daily Cycle:
End of Life Cycle (work at every age):
Time Discipline (the clock):
Motion Discipline (no wasted movements):
Middle-Class Culture (Affection, Children, Privacy, Consumerism, Conformity, Control)
Female Domesticity (Piety, Purity, Submissiveness)
Male Assertiveness at Home/Feminization in Workplace (beginning of spectator sports, symbolic/vicarious masculinity)
Basic Marxism:
Karl Marx (1818-1883); Communist Manifesto (1848): Why Marxism at this moment in history? Should the workers unite?
Capital and Labor:
Surplus Value (or profit) is expropriated from labor by capital:
Alienation and Exploitation:
Economic Determinism
Class Struggle (proletariat or “proles” vs. bourgeoisie, comradeship/solidarity):
Power is “Truth” (leads to Nietzsche and, later, to Foucault); all else is a “Mystification”
Re-education (radicalization, indoctrination): destroys “false consciousness”:
Discussion: Does Marx shed light on any contemporary issues? Should the free market determine value by itself? Should there be any regulation of it? Why not permit child labor if it is profitable? Why not permit slavery? Is there anything in pure capitalism to oppose either? Under what conditions can capitalism be made ethical, assuming socialism is not a viable alternative—if that has that been demonstrated by history?