Study Notes for Enlightenment and Revolutions

Key Concepts

  • Industrial Revolution: Major transformation in industry and technology.

  • Reasons for Industrialization in England:

  • Availability of coal

  • Private property laws

  • Low population

  • US Advantages: Human capital due to immigration.

Economic Theories

  • Capitalism:

  • Key Figure: Adam Smith, Author of Wealth of Nations

  • Concepts: Laissez-faire economics, 'invisible hand'

  • Criticisms exist regarding inequality.

  • Communism:

  • Key Figure: Karl Marx, Author of Communist Manifesto

  • Concepts: Classless society, no private property, worker-owned production

  • Criticisms include lack of individual incentive.

Industrial Technology and Its Impact

  • Technologies: Steam engines, coal, railroads, steam ships, factories

  • Urbanization: Increased movement to cities, resulting in various social effects.

Drawbacks and Benefits of Industrialization

  • Drawbacks:

  • Child labor issues

  • Poor working conditions and long hours

  • Environmental damage

  • Overcrowded housing

  • Benefits:

  • Increased access to consumer products

  • Advancements in technology

  • Expanded education

  • Growth of the middle class

Labor Movements

  • Labor Unions: Advocated for better conditions, organized strikes, collective bargaining.

  • Social Reforms (late 1800s):

  • Minimum wages

  • Expanded suffrage

  • 5-day work week

  • Child labor laws

  • Abolishment of slavery

Qing and Opium Wars

  • Qing Dynasty:

  • Ethnically Manchu, maintained traditions (e.g., civil service exams)

  • Trade Balance: Initially favored China, with high exports and low imports.

  • Opium Wars: Causes included British goals and infringements on Chinese sovereignty.

Rebellions in China

  • Taiping Rebellion: Causes, goals, participants, and results.

  • Boxer Rebellion: Causes, goals, participants (connected to Empress Cixi), and outcomes.

Japanese and Russian Responses to Industrialization

  • U.S. Influence in Japan:

  • Commodore Perry's role in breaking isolation.

  • Meiji Restoration:

  • Consequences: Civil war, fall of Shogunate, restored emperor.

  • Meiji Reforms: Education, constitutional monarchy, industrialization, railroads, zaibatsu.

  • Reaction to Meiji Restoration: Samurai and peasant uprisings.

Russian Industrialization

  • State-Sponsored: Focus on railroads and exports, leading to unrest.

  • End of Serfdom: Needed for modernization.

  • 1905 Revolution: Resulted in a constitution and legalized unions.

Egypt & the Ottoman Empire

  • Egypt under Muhammad Ali: Worked independently, focused on industrialization and military modernization.

  • Decline of the Ottoman Empire: Factors included limited taxation from foreign treaties and increasing nationalism.

  • Tanzimat Reforms: Aimed at modernization and centralization; faced opposition from conservatives.

Comparisons

  • Similarities between the Ottoman Empire and Qing China:

  • Dynastic Rule: Both empires were ruled by dynasties that maintained power through inheritance and social hierarchy.

  • Cultural Tolerance: Both empires exhibited a degree of cultural tolerance towards different religions and ethnic groups within their territories.

  • Trade and Economy: Both empires were significant players in global trade networks, facilitating the exchange of goods, culture, and ideas across regions.

  • Bureaucratic Systems: Both utilized complex bureaucratic systems to manage their vast territories, often incorporating local elites to maintain control.

  • Challenges from Modernization: Both faced internal and external pressures during the 19th century due to modernization efforts, which ultimately contributed to their decline.