Middle Classes

“The Bourgeoisie Century”

Development of the Middle Class

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Bourgeoisie

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as strong a sense of self-identity as did anyone

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Post-Napoleonic era

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Aristocracy

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Hereditary – ascribed status

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Buy-in

Middle Class…es

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Middle Classes

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Not homogeneous

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Shared cultural values and symbols

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Reactionary when challenged

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Journal des De’bat, 1847: “The Bourgeoisie is not a class, it is a position. One acquires that position and loses it. Work, thrift, and ability confer it, vice, dissipation, and idleness mean it can be lost.”

Middle Classes • •

Aristocrats

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idleness Effects of the French Revolution

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Removal of legal blocks to advancement

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Extrinsic motivation for advancement (Napoleon)

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“Endless work to get ahead” ethos

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“In muck there’s brass”

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Increasingly a lifestyle to be emulated and maintained.

• Middle Classes

Frederick Engels

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"One day I walked with one of these middle class gentlemen into Manchester. I spoke to him about the disgraceful, unhealthy slums and drew his attention to the disgusting condition of that part of town in which the factory workers lived. I declared that I'd never seen so badly built a town in my life. He listened patiently and at the end of the corner of a street at which we parted, he remarked, ‘And yet, there is a good deal of money to be made here. Good morning, sir. And he walked away."

Middle Classes

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1830’s:

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Workers "should be constantly harassed by need, for then he will not set his children a bad example and his poverty will be the guarantee of good behavior."

Middle Classes •

Formation of voluntary associations

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Helping the poor

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Moralizing on habits of the poor

• –

SPCA-

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“One must love animals, but not fraternize with animals.”

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Bull fights Church-going

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Much greater % of the “Middle Classes”

Middle Classes •

Census- Who is “Middle Class?”

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Wills

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Britain- approaching 25%

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Paris 17 – 19%

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Northern Italy, Hanseatic cities, Madrid, Barcelona,

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Russia- Moscow & St Petersburg; ~ 2%

Middle Classes • Who is “Middle Class?” – “Great Bourgeoisie” • Financiers (Bankers) • Wholesale Merchants, Shipping magnates –

Political power

– – – – Industrialists Merchants Lawyers Doctors – Petit Bourgeoisie • (Petty Bourgeoisie) *******************ECONOMY***********************

Middle Classes •

What do they want?

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Social mobility

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Vote- political power Education for their children

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Credit

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Privacy

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The right to bear arms

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“The Children’s Hour”

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Birth control

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How is this measured?

Middle Classes •

IN CONCLUSION-

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The Middle classes vary extremely

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Common material culture

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Competitive

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They want the vote

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They can become unified quickly