Effects of the Industrial Revolution and Economic Theories

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the social, economic, and political effects of the Industrial Revolution, including the rise of Capitalism, Socialism, and Marxism, as well as urbanization and labor reforms.

Urbanization

The growth of large cities during the Industrial Age which often suffered from inadequate sewage systems, crowded housing, pollution, and crime.

Tenements

Crowded and often unsafe housing structures found in industrial cities like New York and London during the $1800s$.

Hard Times

An $1854$ novel by Charles Dickens that describes an industrial town with endless smoke, black canals, and machinery working like a "head of an elephant in a state of melancholy madness."

Working Conditions

Typical labor standards in the early Industrial Revolution where families worked $12-16$ hour days for low wages in unsafe factories.

Adam Smith

The author of "Wealth of Nations" ($1776$) who explained modern Capitalism and the concept of the "invisible hand."

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership of property and the means of production, driven by competition and profit motive.

Laissez-faire

A government philosophy meaning "let the economy run itself," where the government does not interfere with the economy.

Socialism

An economic system developed by the mid-$1800s$ where the government controls the economy and redistributes wealth through social welfare programs.

Karl Marx

A critic of capitalism and author of "The Communist Manifesto" ($1848$) who believed world history was a struggle between the "haves" and "have-nots."

Friedrich Engels

The friend and collaborator of Karl Marx who assisted him in writing his influential economic and political works.

Communism

A social and economic system where workers collectively own all property and means of production, aiming to share all resources equally without social classes.

Bourgeoisie

The term used in Marxism to describe the wealthy, powerful "Haves" who owned land and businesses.

Proletariat

The term used in Marxism to describe the poor, powerless "Have-Nots" who worked as wage laborers.

Marxism

The collective economic, social, and political ideas of Karl Marx, focusing on the history of class struggle.

Religion is the opiate of the masses

A famous statement by Karl Marx expressing his belief that religion dulled people's reactions to the cruelty and unfairness of life.

Labor Unions

Organizations formed by workers to demand better conditions, which gained power through the ability to strike.

Strike

A collective action where all workers stop working at once to pressure business owners for better wages or working conditions.

City Reforms

Government interventions in the late $1800s$ and early $1900s$ that led to professional police/fire departments, safer factories, and public sanitation projects.

Thomas Crapper

An individual associated with the development of public sanitation and improved ornamental flush-down toilets in the $1860s$.

Public Education

A reform provided to children in industrialized nations by the late $1800s$ as child labor was being reduced or eliminated.