5) How did Britain's middle classes change during the 19th century?
The upper levels of the middle class consisted of wealthy factory owners and mine owners, bankers and merchants. While this may be true, the majority of the middle class included businessmen, doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, journalists, scientists, and any other professionals who were necessary in an industrial society. These people were the reason for the Reform Bill of 1832, which granted middle class men the right to vote, but still excluded women. Their main concern was the idea of "respectability," which combines both social status and virtuous behavior. In terms of gender roles, people who came from middle class families often seemed to adopt traditional roles. The industrial revolution was a turning point in the lives of many middle class women, since they went from being a housewife who couldn't work to earn a profit to entering the labor force in a wide range of careers. The industrial revolution provided both men and women with an abundant amount of new employment options. This is what helped these people be able to distinguish themselves from the working class and claim their position in the middle class. It allowed the majority of the middle class an opportunity to grow and this is what allowed the industrializing process to continue.
7) What were the differences between industrialization in the United States and that in Russia?
Mostly due to the available resources the United States possessed it became the world’s leading industrial power by the year 1914. The U.S. government made it relatively easy for corporations to form, gave tax breaks, offered grants of public land to the railroad companies, and there was an absence of overt regulation of industry. All of these played a role in the rise of very large business enterprises. The United States also developed new ways to use mass production, the assembly line, and “scientific management” in order to produce for a mass market. On the other hand, Russia remained without a national parliament, had no legal political parties, and no nationwide elections at the time. It remained under the control of titled nobility of various ranks and an unchecked tsar. Russia began to see change through the wars they fought such as the Crimean War (1854-1856). This is when they began coming to the realization that things like serfdom were no longer beneficial to the overall development of the country. It wasn’t until 1890 that the Russian industrial revolution began. This revolution was mostly centered around railroads and heavy industry and a great amount of foreign investment
10) In what ways was Latin America linked to the global economy of the 19th century, and what was the impact of these links?
Latin America began producing large amounts of silver and raw materials such as copper from Chile, tin from Bolivia, nitrates from Chile, and guano (bird droppings) from Peru. Many other materials can be added to this list and came from other parts of Latin America as well. An exchange of goods would occur between Latin America, Europe, and the United States. Latin America would provide the necessary raw materials for industrializing countries and in return they would import weapons, machinery, tools, textiles, and luxury goods from Europe and the United States. Urbanization occurred as a result to this exchange and Latin America sought to become more like Europe. Impoverished Europeans were recruited and promised a new and prosperous life in Latin America. These promises were often unfulfilled though. The exports that Latin America was engaging in at the time impacted the Upper-class landowners and the Middle-class urban dwellers. These two groups represented one percent and eight percent of the population respectively. These people were seen as valuable and necessary for the growth and modernization of society. The rest of the population was lower class and struggled with impoverishment. These are the people who were living in rural areas and benefited the least out of everyone from the export boom.
