What's Going On In The 19th Century?

19th Century Blog

The 19th century was filled with all different kinds of "isms:" Imperialism, colonialism, conservativism, liberalism, nationalism, militarism, mercantilism, socialism, romanticism and communism.

The main classification of what is going on in the 19th century is using PERSIA. The political, economical, religious, social, intellectual and arts make up the 19th century PERSIA'ed.

Political aspects in the 19th century were derived from the desire for power and prestige. This desire was caused by a surge in nationalism, and European feeling of superiority. Nationalism motivated national rivalry. Liberalism was a movement for freedom and a change. Conservatism countered and tried to crush Liberalism, by trying to keep things the way they used to be. The Industrial Revolution came along, and created many more jobs. People moved to cities from suburban areas, and the balance of power within the nation was shifted. The middle class was also expanded. Karl Marx tried to install communism in Europe. He believed in a classless society and wanted the government to control all property. More people were able to vote after the political evolution of Great Britain. The unification of Italy and Germany created a balance of power and creating new countries. Feminism showed people that individualism was important. The 19th century was a time filled with political change.

Economics greatly affected the world during the 19th century. Mercantilism was a major factor. Europeans colonized the New World, Africa, and Asia so they had new markets for their goods. Additionally, Europeans needed a new source for natural resources and raw materials to keep up with the expanding population. They wanted to increase the number of imports and decrease the number of exports. The Dreyfus Affair stopped the inflow of money in France and the Industrial Revolution was the start of economic advancement. There were so many new jobs and inventions that the mass production of materials skyrocketed. The prices of many things dropped because of all the inventions and improvements, and this impulsed people to buy indulgences, which spurred the economy. Communists worked to get rid of the poor working conditions and fought for the abolition of property, which really impacted Europe. The economy of Crimea was ruined for decades due to the destruction form the Crimean War. The economy of Europe was affected greatly by the Congress of Vienna because of the redistribution of lands and the new alliances that were formed. During the French Revolution of 1848 the sans-culottes aligned themselves with socialism because it promised economic security. The results of feminism allowed lower classes to earn wages, and more women were able to work in the numerous factories.

The things that happened during the 19th century had religious consequences. The Dreyfus Affair showed the division between religions, and how the government judged people for their religion. Anti-Semitism was a cause why Dreyfus was imprisoned. The people affected by the Irish Potato Famine thought that the famine was a punishment from God. Religion became less important during the Industrial Revolution because people were concentrating more on surviving and working in the new factories. After the Congress of Vienna, there was religious turmoil. There was a fight to see which religion (Lutheran or Roman Catholic) would be superior in each state. Religion began to separate from the government. Karl Marx was opposed to religion because he sad it was against the concept of Communism. The Crimean War was a war between Muslims (Ottoman Turks) and Catholics (Russians) and the Greek War of Independence was a British war against the Muslim Turks. Feminism upset the Victorian and previously religious view of women in society. Religion’s role in the world changed a lot during the 19th century.

There were several social things that developed during the 19th century. Racism became very evident when Europeans began to colonize places. They treated the colonized people terribly and even enslaved them. They thought they were superior to the rest of the world. Xenophobia (the fear of foreigners) developed in China after the Boxer Rebellion. Women’s rights were fought for with feminism, and they made some advances. Social barriers began to fall between classes. Social Darwinism became extremely influential. Darwin had created theories about evolution, and they were applied to social situations and life. People began to believe that adaptation and natural selection were natural parts of life. Some said that it was normal for the strong to survive at the expense of the weak, and that the rich were better adapted to their environments than the poor. Some Social Darwinists even went as far to say that it was wrong and morally incorrect to help those weaker than you because it would be promoting the survival of people that were unfit. There were many things during the 19th century that changed society forever.

Intellectually, there were advances during the 19th century. Karl Marx and Communism greatly challenged intellectual thinking. Revolutionary ideas began to spread and the idea of no social security was defied. Feminism was a huge intellectual movement. Its ideas appeared in literature everywhere. Inventions from China were brought back to Europe and imitated. Europeans learned things from their colonies’ people. The intellectual effects the 19th century had on the world were very influential.

Arts were important during the 19th century. It gave people a way to express their feelings about this that was going on. Art portrayed the gloom of the Industrial Revolution, like the pollution, horrible working conditions, and how it destroyed nature. It allowed people to show their views of different politics, such as Marxism and Communism. Political cartoons helped people challenge the government and think. Art was a significant part of the 19th century as it permitted people to express themselves.

There was so much going on in the 19th century! There was much change taking place, and the stage was being set for today. Modern ideas were formed and countries and nations were modernized. New countries were formed, others explored and noticed for the resources they had. Things were invented that bettered and worsened peoples lives. Religion caused wars and then took a backseat to people living their lives. They economy was amplified because of imperialism and colonialism. Empires were created during the “Scramble for Colonies” and nations competed to be the most powerful in the world. Some of the most influential and useful inventions came form this century during the Industrial Revolution. The 19th century was indeed a very important 100 years, changing the world to what we know it as.