Life in the Emerging Urban Society (1840-1914) Flashcards
realism a dominant movement
c. 1840-1890s. it was a literary movement that, in contrast to Romanticism, stressed the depiction of life as it actually was. it pursued the typical and commonplace. many taboo subjects were explored. the movement began in France.
Cholera epidemic and first public health law in Britain
in 1848.
Modernization of Paris
c. 1850-1870
working classes’ conditions improve
from 1850-1914.
Pasteur begins studying fermentation and develops pasteurization
starts investigating in 1854 and develops pasteurization (heating to slow down the bacterial activity) in 1863.
Development of germ theory
Developed by Louis Pasteur from 1854-1870. the idea that diseases were caused by the spread of living organisms that could be controlled.
“On the Origin of Species by the Means of Natural Selection”
published by C. Darwin in 1859. He built on Anaximander’s and J.B. Lamarck’s work. he went on a 5-year scientific trip to Latin America from 1831 onwards and collected numerous samples. Darwin concluded that all life had gradually evolved from a common ancestral origin in an unending struggle for survival.
Completion of London sewer system
in 1865.
Mendeleev creates the periodic table
in 1869. it codified the rules of chemistry.
Second Industrial Revolution, decline of birthrate in Europe
from 1880-1913.
“The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”
Published by Max Weber in 1890. the most famous sociologist of his time.
Electric streetcar introduced in Europe
in 1890s.
industry and growth of cities
cities were “walking cities,” meaning that very many people had to live close together to be within walking distance of all the necessities. industrial growth led to even more overcrowding. in England early 19th century cities used every ounce of land so that there ere no parks and open areas. row houses without yards were typical. living was unhealthy and unsanitary, with open sewers and drains flowing in the streets. the government reaction to such conditions was slow.
the advent of the public health movement
Edwin Chadwick applied utilitarianism in his law reforms. he collected detailed reports from Poor Law officials and published the findings in 1842. This report became the basis for the first public health law in 1848. this movement spread to the mainland and US and government’s accepted at least limited responsibility for public health.
utilitarianism
the idea of Jeremy Bentham that social policies should promote the “greatest good for the greatest number”
the bacterial revolution
in the 1840s and ’50s the first doctors noted that disease happened through direct contact with filth. In the mid 1870s Robert Koch and his colleagues developed pure cultures of harmful bacteria and described their life cycles. following that mainly German researchers identified many organisms responsible for different diseases. many effective vaccines were developed but antibiotics cam out in the middle of the 20th century.
Joseph Lister in 1865 developed the chemical disinfectant and in the 1880s german surgeons started practicing sterilizing.
improvements in urban planning
France during Napoleon III took the lead. Baron G, Haussmann was hired to modernize the city. old buildings were destroyed to build straight boulevards and built new, more roomy housing. small neighborhood parks and open spaces sprang up everywhere in addition to the bigger ones. sewers and aqueducts were developed to be more effective.
public transportation
in the 1870s many areas authorized private companies to operate horse-drawn streetcars. in the 1890s the electric streetcar was taken into use. thanks to this the cities expanded and became less congested. suburban commuting was born.
the distribution of income
by 1850s real wages were rising for the masses. this, however, did not mean better conditions and equality between classes. the middle class was quite small at the time and most people were living in relative poverty.
the people and occupations of the middle classes
moderately successful industrialists and merchants, professionals in law, business, medicine. the middle classes occupied the jobs that demanded specialized knowledge and education (engineers, architects, chemists, accountants, surveyors, managers). the number of white collar employees rose, too. they were on the same economic level as some working class people but due to their ideals of upwards social mobility they bunched together with the middle class.
middle-class culture and values
lifestyle preferences united the different levels of middle classes. much money was spent on food and entertainment (books, music, travel). meat was popular among the middle class. dinner parties, servant(s) were normal demarcations of a middle class family. they also rented very nice homes. they, too, built country/beach houses for weekend/holiday usage. outward appearances were important, especially clothes (for women). the middle class followed a strict code of behaviour, manners and morality.
the people and occupations of the working classes
people whose livelihood depended mainly on physical labor and had no domestic servants. this class was even less unified and homogenous than the middle classes. many semi-skilled groups (mostly factory workers) emerged between the skilled and unskilled ones (day laborers) . labor aristocracy had to work hard to keep that position as many semi-skilled workers came to replace them. the upper working class adopted distinctive values. they believed in morality and economic improvement.
labor aristocracy
the highly skilled workers, such as factory foremen and construction bosses, who made up about 15% of the working classes from about 1850-1914.
sweated industries
poorly paid handicraft production, often carried out by married women paid by the piece and working at home.
