Mastering the Ohio Graduation Test: Social Studies

Woodridge High SchoolSocial Studies Department

Chapter 3: From the Enlightenment to Imperialism (1700-1900)

• The Enlightenment was a movement of ideas that occurred in Europe between 1680 and 1790

• Enlightenment thinkers attempted to apply reason to understanding and explaining the world around them (not just faith)

• Using math and science, they hoped a single set of fixed laws governed the universe

• The Enlightenment was a significant challenge to the church

Enlightenment and the Church

• Enlightenment thinkers rejected following tradition blindly including any authority figures (kings) or church teachings

• For example: Church teachings were based on faith – Enlightenment thinkers wanted to see facts or proof

• Instead they insisted in observing nature to explain how the world operates

• Enlightenment writers challenged the notion of divine right - the idea that God sent kings to rule here on earth

Key Ideas of the Enlightenment• The Power of Human Reason - people should exercise

their reasoning power

• Natural Laws – the world operates according to ‘natural laws’

• Natural Rights – all people have certain ‘natural rights’ that can not be taken away from individuals such as freedom and property

Key Ideas of the Enlightenment (cont.)

• Social Contract – the ultimate source of power in society is the people. If a government or ruler violates natural laws given to the people, that ruler should be remove

• Religious Toleration – people should accept different beliefs w/out conflict. Also, church and state (the government) should be separate

Enlightenment Thinkers

• Adam Smith economist, believed in two ideas for any economy• laissez-faire - government should stay out of the economy• free-enterprise economy – supply and demand would

determine prices; everyone benefits

• John Locke – “social contract theory” - a government should protect citizens’ natural rights

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau – “the general will ” - individuals’ surrender rights for the community

• Baron de Montesquieu – separation of power in government; checks and balances

Relationships between citizens & their governments

American Revolution (1775-1783)

•The American colonists broke with the British when they signed the Declaration of Independence(1776) written by Thomas Jefferson

•Social contract theory – colonists protested the British gov’t (Parliament) taxing them w/out their consent or representation in Parliament

• Natural rights – life, liberty & happiness violated by King George III; colonists felt they had the right to revolt

Relationships between citizens & their governments

French Revolution (1789-1799)•French Society was broken up into 3 estates

•1st estate -- clergy – 1 % of population, paid no taxes

•2nd estate -- nobility – 1% of population, collected taxes

•3rd estate – 98% of population; paid all taxes

•Declaration of the Rights of Man – est. Natural Rights in France

•French citizens broke from the 3rd estate and established themselves as the National Assembly

• Ended privileges of nobles

• Abolished serfdom

• Issued a Constitution

• Abolished the monarchy

• Established a republic

Revolutions Cont.

Latin American Independence (1798-1825)

• Independence of European colonies (mainly from Spain)

• Led by Simon Bolivar in South America

• Father Hidalgo in Mexico from Spain

• Toussaint-L’Ouverture led slave revolt in Haiti (1791)

• Followed American & French examples; entitled to governments that protect their interests

• The Industrial Revolution was a revolution in making things – using machines & new power sources in factories – working away from the home

• Began in Great Britain, mid 1700s, in the textile industry (clothing)

• Steam engine – cheap, reliable source of power for machines & transportation

Nature of Work Changes

• Factory system – people no longer worked out of their homes making products by hand, unskilled workers went to buildings housing machines and performed simple repetitive tasks

• Mass production – greater amounts of goods produced at a lower cost; increased demands for goods > more factories built > employment of more workers

Changes in Working Conditions

• Long hours

• Noisy, dangerous, & unsafe conditions

• Low wages

• No job security

• Used women & small children

Agricultural Revolution

• New scientific methods: rotating crops, using fertilizers,

• New machinery: reaper, harvester

• More food led to increasing populations (esp. in cities)

• Machines put farm workers out of work > moved to cities to find jobs

Urbanization

** the movement of people from the rural areas (countryside) into the urban areas (cities)

• New problems – overcrowding, inadequate city services, diseases from contaminated water supplies

• Cities needed to improve sanitation systems, police & fire services, education

INDUSTRIALIZATION con’t

Immigration

• Immigration occurs because of either push factors, pull factors or a combination of both

•Push factors push a person out or a country; (e.g. In Europe, push factors included: starvation, no jobs, too many people, religious persecution, wars)

•Pull factors pull a person towards a country (e.g. to America: a new life, job, freedom, give children a better life)

•What would the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840’s be considered?

•Most Old Immigrants came to the U.S. before the Civil War (1865) from Northern and Eastern Europe (e.g. Germany, Irish, British)

•Most New Immigrants came to the U.S. after the Civil War from Southern and Western Europe (e.g. Italy, Poland, Slavs, Russia)

INDUSTRIALIZATION con’t

Rise of Big Business

• Prior to 1860 (American Civil War) businesses were owned by individuals, families or partners

• After 1865 corporations came into being; advantages: by issuing shares of stock to investors more capital could be raised

•larger factories were built; Interconnection w/ railroads, factories, mines &shipping lines

•More efficient means of production were used like mass production lower costs, higher standards of living for consumers

Entrepreneurs – John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, used ruthless tactics to rid competition & keep workers in line; cheating consumers b/c of laissez faire governmental policies

INDUSTRIALIZATION con’t

Rise of Organized Labor (labor unions)

• Because factory owners were so powerful, workers needed to organize to protect themselves from mistreatment

•Workers formed labor unions to act as a group w/ greater bargaining power

• Used strikes to halt work production & pressure employers to give into workers’ demands

• Business leaders would not give into labor demands, brought in non-union workers called scabs

• Unions, however, were seen as selfish trouble-makers and perhaps even Socialists or Communists by the public

• Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels – organize workers worldwide to overthrow capitalist bosses, wrote the Communist Manifesto, 1848

INDUSTRIALIZATION con’t

Organized Labor con’t

• Some labor unions grew national attention

• Knights of Labor - a national union for both skilled & unskilled workers, wanted 8-hr. day, safety in factories, higher wages, end to child labor; too loosely organized , unsuccessful strikes

• American Federation of Labor (AFL)– loose association of separate unions of skilled workers (not an actual union) ; better working condition & higher wages

• Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)– union for both skilled & unskilled workers

INDUSTRIALIZATION con’t

Middle Class Reformers in America and Europe

• Growing middle class – shopkeepers, small business owners, professionals (teachers, doctors, lawyers); goal – changes to end the evil of society

• Populist Party – formed by farmers when faced with difficult economic times b/c of crop surpluses & falling food prices; called for: restrictions

On railroads, 8-hr work day, progressive income tax, direct election of senators, ; unsuccessful after losing 1892 presidential election

INDUSTRIALIZATION con’t

The Progressive Era in America (1900 – 1920)

•Progressive Movement - at the turn of the century, middle class city dwellers tried to change society for the better

• Progressive goals: gov’t. should check “Big Business” & end evils of industrialization & horrible conditions of industries

INDUSTRIALIZATION con’t

Middle Class Reformers in America and Europe cont.

Political changes

local level - cities had corrupt “bosses” who bought immigrant votes & made money off of corrupt public contracts; most famous was Tammany Hall led by William “Boss” Tweed in New York City

state level –direct election of Senators (17th Amendment), primaries to choose candidates, free public education for all

national level - anti-trust laws signed to break up monopolies

• President Theodore Roosevelt (most progressive President)– purity of foods & drugs, conservation measures

• Pres. Woodrow Wilson –income tax, Federal Reserve System, restriction of use of child labor

Nations gained political, economic & social control of territories in the 1880’s and impacted the lives of the people living in the imperialized colonies

Political Roots

•Britain & France led imperial race

• New nations like Belgium & unification of Italy & Germany were involved later

• New technologies: railroad, steamship, telegraph, rifle allowed imperial powers to travel into interiors of Africa & Asia

• Balance of Power – Otto von Bismarck, leader of Germany, held conference to divide up Africa equally among European imperial powers

Economic Roots Due to the Industrial Revolution, there was a greater need for raw materials and new markets to sell finished goods

Social Roots• Nationalism – desire of European nations to extend their national superiority overseas

• Belief that European cultures were superior to others (Social Darwinism) and they should “civilize” Asia, Africa & Pacific islands

• Moral duty of Europeans to Christianize and extend European culture

European Imperialists Perspective vs.

Colonized Native People’s Perspectives Language

• Europeans introduced new language to India, Africa & Pacific islands as the accepted means of communication

•Local languages & customs were ignored and considered inferior (lesser than or below)

Natural Resources

• European colonizers felt it was their right to take agricultural & mineral resources back to their homeland, or profit from use of the resources

• Native lands lost much of their natural wealth to the imperial powers

European Imperialists Perspective vs.

Colonized Native People’s Perspectives

Labor

• Natives were forced to work in mines and on plantations as servants for the European colonizers

• Natives were treated badly: low wages, long hours of work, almost a state of slavery w/ physical abuse

Political Authority

• New colonial boundaries were created w/ no consideration of local ethnic or tribal boundaries

• Conflicts arose between European colonizers competing for the same land & and also among ethnic groups being pushed into the same lands by the Europeans

Impact of IMPERIALISM

Religion• Europeans believed they were improving Native lives introducing them to Christianity

Technology

• New technologies: railroads, telegraphs, modern medicines to improve lives of colonized peoples

Exploitation of African Resources

• European plantations & mines robbed Africa of its agricultural resources: cash crops and wealth of gold & diamonds

Political & Social Reform in China and Japan

• 1800 – China lagged behind technologically

• Defeated by Britain in Opium Wars(1839-1842), China was carved into “spheres of influence”

• Chinese reacted by attacking foreigners in Boxer Rebellion

• Manchu Dynasty overthrown b/c of foreigners intervening in Boxer Rebellion, defeat by Japan in 1894-95, refusal to reform

• After American Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Harbor in 1853 with metal ships, Japan decided to modernize

American Imperialism

• Resisted becoming imperial power for long time

• Late 1800s desire to become an imperial power b/c of industrial needs, settlement of west, belief in American superiority, concerns about military security against other imperial powers

• Spanish-American War – U.S. defend Cuba from Spanish abuses; U.S. won Philippines & Puerto Rico, became American colonies, sphere of influence over Cuba

• Hawaii – naval station for ships on way to Japan & China, dominated by American sugar & pineapple companies; annexed by U.S. in 1898

• Panama Canal– 1905 U.S. controlled strip of land to build canal, connecting Atlantic & Pacific Ocean