CHY4U - Unit 3: The Role of Government, Ideologies, and Political Beliefs

This covers the governing ideologies from the 19th century in Europe. This includes people like Queen Victoria, Karl Marx and Engels, and Ideas like 'Utopian Socialism'

Issues with the IIndustrial revolution (IR) that caused a spark fot the want of change in the government

included poor working conditions, child labor, economic inequality, and environmental degradation, which led to demands for reforms and social justice.

Benjamin Disraeli and Charles Dickens

• Believed that employers had moral obligation

  toward workers

  • Wanted ensure fair treatment and improve their living conditions.

Thomas Carlyle

• Criticized industrial capitalism and advocated for social reform

• Emphasized the moral duty of the wealthy to aid the poor.

• Argued that the idea of “An employer’s moral obligation towards a worker'“ Would not be possible since the “CASH-NEXUS” created an inhumane relation between employers and workers.

The Chartist movement of 1848

was a working-class movement in Britain that aimed for political reforms such as universal male suffrage, secret ballots, and payment for Members of Parliament, reflecting the demands for greater democracy.

What was the problem of "Laissez-Faire” during the I.R?

The "Laissez-Faire" approach led to:

• minimal government intervention in the economy, resulting in exploitation of workers, poor labor conditions, and social inequalities.

Utilitarianism in the I.R

• Jeremy Bentham

• Believed that Laws should be designed to

  create “the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people”

• utilitarian philosophy made government intervention more acceptable and was a factor in the creation of modern civil service

Utopian socialism - What is it?

is a political ideology that advocates for the establishment of an ideal society where social ownership and cooperation replace capitalism, aiming for equitable distribution of resources and social welfare.

Why did people want to believe in Utopian socialism during the IR?

People were disillusioned by the harsh realities of industrialization, such as poverty and inequality, and sought a more just and equitable society where resources were shared for the benefit of all.

Who are the main Utopian Socialists? (People)

• Robert Owen

• Charles Fourier

• Pierre-Joseph Proudhon