Lecture: The 19^th Century

I.         Administration

            A.        Announcements

            B.        Cancellation of 2 Discussions

            C.        Exam IV

II.        Introduction

            A.        The conquests of Napoleon and his eventual defeat ushered Europe into a variety of changes. Ideas had been set loose on the European map which were unavoidable and would create great change.

            B.        Today we are going to look at the 19^th century in overview. The Nineteenth century was a time of transition – new cultural forms appeared on the map, as new and dangerous ideologies.

                        1.         Today, we are going to look at those ideologies and some of those changes. When we refer to the nineteenth century and to the twentieth, it is important to understand that the trends of those eras actually do not conform neatly to the dates on the calendar.

                        2.         A better time frame for the 19^th century would be 1814-1914; and for the 20^th, 1914-1991, when the Soviet Union.

            C.        During the 19^th century, new ideas of nationalism, ideas of freedom, liberalism, romanticism stirred hearts and minds in literature, art and music. Napoleon marched across the map. The British arose from their island and retreated. There were changes in the map of Europe with political states of Germany and Italy for the first time in centuries. Changes in technology and living.

            D.        All of this was part of the grand ethos we call the 19^th century. The 19^th century came to an end not in 1900 or 1901, but in 1914, with the a war so great that it creates a chasm across time. A gulf so wide that no one knows how to cross it. Today we will sum of the mind-set at the end of the 19^th century as we lead into the Great War.

III.       The Ethos of the 19^th Century

            A.        This is an era of ideas and of change, sometimes violent, but it will not be an era of warfare. Wars will be brief and isolated, usually over specific pieces of territory. Regardless, the conflicts of the 19^th century will center around Nationalism.

                        1.         Nationalism we defined briefly ast

IV.      The Era of Contrasts

            A.        The nineteenth century is hard to encapsulate into a few words. No one sentence does it justice, and there is an exception to every generalization we make. The best way to understand it is in terms of contrasts.

            B.        The first that of wealth. The nineteenth century was age for the fabulously wealthy, and the tremendously poor.  Those who lived well – did so very well.

                        1.         On the one hand you have the industrial barons in the United States – men like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, who made fortunes in industry in a time when there were no regulations. John Pierpont Morgan would be so wealthy and have access to the wealth of others to the point that he would bail out the United States treasury not once, but twice.

                        2.         Cecil Rhodes would be one of Europe’s great adventurers of the late 19^th century and would make a fortune finding diamonds and gold deposits in South Africa. Two countries in Africa would be named after him for almost a century.

                        3.         Of course, these were the men who made their wealth, but there were also those who inherited it. The aristocracy of Europe lived well. Children were educated at the best schools - Eton, harrow, and then set on for university educations – Oxford or Cambridge – it mattered not what you studied, but that you met people – the right people, with whom you would have connections for the rest of your life. Then one went on the “Grand Tour” – a world travelling expedition, in which one saw all the great capitals of Europe, and maybe, went to America.

            C.        But that was only one side of the coin. There were also those who lived at the bottom of society and tried merely to survive.

                        1.         The working classes of Britain worked for approximately 13 cents an hour in our money, for about 17 hours a week. Life was hard, unregulated for the most part. Factories, mills, and steel furnances and ship yards were home to these people.

                        2.         The cities of Europe and America were known more for their slums than their parties. The spread of disease was tremendous. The new sewer systems took time to dispel.

                        3.         While the uppper crust went to operas, plays, and ballets and attended glamorous parties, this class went to the music halls. 3 pennies would get you in to see a show that lampooned the upper class and its ideas. Told you how life really was with all its absurdities and humor.

            D.        The contradictions of wealth created the second contrast of 19^th century society – Political Ideas & Power.

                        1.         The governments in power in Europe used the language of liberalism and nationalism. Doing one’s duty for one’s country. Freedom-loving individuals. Governments were to stay out of life so that one could enjoy freedom. France, Britain and the U.S. in particular would speak of the freedoms of democracy and republicanism. The freedom to speak and write and think freely and be who you were.

                        2.         Yet, the governments were 99% aristocratic. They all came from the same families, inter-relation and who you knew got you a job in the government not your qualifications.

                        3.         The attempts to create greater equality through labor strikes, the suffragette movement were all met with resistance and force. The suffragettes of Britain, France and the U.S. were arrested, but were force-fed when they went on hunger strikes in prison. Gently bred women chaining themselves to coaches and gates and then being held down in prison as three or four men forced tubes down their throats. So much for equality.

                        4.         Those who were different in background were also considered suspect – The Dreyfus Affair in France. Those who thought differently were often excluded. Socialists – those who believed in economic equality were considered destructive to the very fabric of society.

            E.        Furthermore, as Western society prided itself on its ideas of Freedom, it was depriving others of their own freedom.

                        1.         Imperialism

            F.        There were contrasts in terms of social violence as well.

                        1.         This was the great era of peace movements. Pacifist societies were everywhere in Europe and the U.S. Those who thought violence was surely no longer

                        2.         The socialists were mild compared to the anarchists, however. This group arose in the late 19^th century, and not only did they think the system was corrupt but wanted an end to all governments everywhere, because they encroached on the individual’s freedom. They became the assassins of the late 19^th century. Prior 10 1914, they assasinated six heads of state, including President McKinley of the U.S.