- However, following the revolution , there was a growing debate about individual rights and social power in many parts of the world , including Europe and Asia .
- In India, Raja Rammohan Roy and Derozio talked about the significance of the French Revolution, and many others debated the ideas of post-revolutionary Europe.
- In turn, these ideas of societal change were reshaped by developments in the colonies .
- However, not everyone in Europe wanted a complete transformation of society .
- Some respondents agreed with the need for some change , but wished for a gradual shift , while others wished for a total restructuring of society .
- Some were ‘ conservatives ’ , others were ‘ liberals’ or ‘radicals ’.
- These terms do not mean the same thing in all contexts or at all times.
- We'll quickly review some of the key political tenets of the nineteenth century and consider how they impacted progress .
- Then we will focus on one historical event in which there was an attempt at a radical transformation of society .
- Through the revolution in Russia , socialism became one of the most significant and influential ideas to shape society in the twentieth century .
Liberals, Radicals and Conservatives
- European nations frequently discriminated against certain religions.
- Britain favoured the Church of England ,
- Austria and Spain favoured the Catholic Church .
- Liberals desired a country that respected all religions .
- They were opposed to dynastic monarchs' unchecked power .
- They aimed to defend individual liberties from tyrannies .
- They advocated in favour of a representative , democratically elected parliamentary government , governed by laws that were adjudicated by an impartial judiciary with appropriate training .
- However, they were not ‘ democrats ’.
- They did not support everyone's right to vote , or the universal adult franchise .
- They held the opinion that only males with property should be allowed to vote .
- They opposed women having the right to vote as well.
- Radicals , on the other hand, favoured a society where the majority of the populace governed .
- Many backed the suffragette movements for women .
- They rejected the privileges enjoyed by powerful landowners and affluent manufacturing owners , in contrast to liberals.
- The concentration of property in the hands of a small number of people bothered them more than the existence of private property itself.
- Conservatives were opposed to radicals and liberals .
- But following the French Revolution , many conservatives began to see the necessity for change .
- Conservatives had previously usually rejected the idea of change in the eighteenth century.
- By the nineteenth century , they had come to terms with the fact that change was necessary but believed it needed to be gradual in order to preserve the past .
- During the social and political upheaval that followed the French Revolution , such disparate views on societal development came into conflict .
- The numerous attempts at revolution and national transformation during the nineteenth century contributed to the definition of these political movements' potential and bounds .
Industrial Society and Social Change
- These political trends were signs of a new time .
- It was a time of profound social and economic changes .
- It was a time when the Industrial Revolution took place, new cities sprouted up , and newly industrialised regions grew .
- Industrialisation brought men, women and children to factories.
- There were frequently long workdays and low pay .
- It was normal to experience unemployment , especially when there was little demand for manufacturing items .
- The rising urbanisation of towns created issues with housing and sanitation .
- Both liberals and radicals looked for solutions to these problems .
- Almost all industries were owned by certain people .
- Many times, liberals and revolutionaries themselves were landlords and employees.
- Having amassed their fortune through commerce or industrial endeavours , they believed that such effort should be promoted because its advantages would be realised if the population was educated and the workers in the economy were in good health .
- They genuinely believed in the value of human work , labour , and industry and were opposed to the privileges the old aristocracy received by virtue of their birth .
- They held that society would advance provided people's rights to freedom , the ability of the poor to work, and the unrestricted use of wealth by those with means were all guaranteed .
- In the early nineteenth century , a large number of working-class men and women who desired social reform rallied around liberal and radical clubs and parties .
- Revolutions were desired by some nationalists , liberals , and radicals to end the type of governments that had been formed in Europe in 1815 .
- They become revolutionaries and worked to overthrow the ruling monarchies in France, Italy, Germany, and Russia.
- Nationalists envisioned revolutions establishing new "nations" in which everyone would enjoy equal rights.
- An Italian nationalist named Giuseppe Mazzini plotted to accomplish this in Ital y after 1815 .
- His thoughts were formerly studied by nationalists in other countries , such as India .
The Coming of Socialism to Europe
- One of the most far-reaching visions of how society should be structured was socialism .
- By the middle of the nineteenth century , socialism had gained widespread recognition in Europe and was a well-known set of concepts.
- Socialists opposed private property and believed that it was the cause of all current societal issues.
- Individuals owned the property that gave employment but the propertied was concerned only with personal gain and not with the welfare of those who made the property productive.
- Therefore, if society as a whole controlled property rather than a single person , social interests as a whole would receive more attention .
- Socialists wanted this change and campaigned for it.
- Socialists had different visions of the future .
- Some believed in the idea of cooperatives .
- Robert Owen (1771-1858), a leading English manufacturer , build a cooperative community called New Harmony in Indiana (USA).
- Other socialists felt that cooperatives could not be built on a wide scale only through individual initiative so they demanded that government should encourage cooperatives.
- For instance, Louis Blanc (1813-1882) wanted the French government to encourage cooperatives and replace capitalist enterprises .
- Cooperatives are associations of people who produce goods together and share profits according to the work performed by members.
- To this collection of arguments, Karl Marx (1818–1833) and Friedrich Engels (1820–1895) added further theories.
- According to Marx , the industrial civilization was " capitalist ."
- Workers produced the profit for capitalists , who owned the capital used to build industries.
- As long as private capitalists were able to amass enormous wealth , wor king conditions could not change .
- The private property system and capitalism have to be overthrown by the working class.
- Marx held that workers needed to create a truly socialist society where all property was collectively managed in order to be freed from capitalist exploitation .
- This society would be communist .
- In the struggle between workers and capitalists , he was certain that workers would prevail.
- The future society that made the most sense was a communist one .
Support for Socialism
- By the 1870s , socialist ideas spread through Europe .
- Socialists established Second International as an international organisation to coordinate their efforts .
- To fight for better living and working conditions , workers in England and Germany began forming associations .
- They established funds to support members during difficult times and requested a shortening of working hours as well as the right to vote .
- These organisations helped the Social Democratic Party (SPD) of Germany obtain seats in the parliament by cooperating closely with it.
- By 1905 , socialists and labour activists in Britain and France established the Labour Party and the Socialist Party , respectively.
- However, socialists were unsuccessful in creating a government in Europe until 1914 .
- Although they were well-represented in legislative politics and had an impact on legislation , governments were still led by conservatives , liberals , and radicals .
- This painting depicts the 1871 Paris Commune .
- It depicts a scene from the uprising of the people that occurred in Paris between March and May 1871 .
- During this time, a " peoples' government " made up of workers , regular citizens , professionals , political activists , and others took control of Paris' town council ( commune ).
- Growing unhappiness with French state policies served as the backdrop for the rebellion .
- The ‘Paris Commune’ was ultimately crushed by government troops but it was celebrated by the socialist world over as a prelude to a socialist revolution .
- The Paris Commune is also well-known for two significant contributions: first, for its connection to the workers' red flag , which the communards ( revolutionaries ) in Paris adopted; second, for the " Marseillaise ," which was originally composed as a war song in 1792 but later came to represent the Commune and the fight for freedom.
