Course Summary: Urbanism and Capitalism

Course Structure

• One class next week focusing on urbanism and cities.
• Following week: three classes.
• Key topics: Chicago and modernism, emphasizing figures like Bauhaus, Corbusier, and Mies.

Rise of Capitalism

• Important trends in the course: banking, bond market, and limited liability invention in industrial contexts.
• Enclosure acts led to forced urbanization: people were evicted from lands.

Industrial Revolution

• Birth of coal mining due to forced urbanization; pivotal in technology development.
• Invention of early engines facilitated textile mechanization.
• Adam Smith's idea of division of labor revolutionized production processes in factories.

Labor and Social Issues

• Child labor was common in textile mills during industrialization.
• Increasing urban population led to health crises (tuberculosis, cholera).
• David Ricardo's economics suggested higher profits for owners at the cost of labor exploitation.

Impact on Society

• Rise of industrial towns (e.g., Manchester) due to demand for labor.
• Economic cycles leading to job fluctuations and societal instability (e.g., strikes).

Architecture & Urban Planning

• Railway advancements changed urban landscapes by enabling faster travel and trade.
• Differences in company towns: England vs. USA, with company script leading to economic dependence.

Historical Context

• Rebellion and societal responses to oppression marked the era, affected by labor rights movements.
• Enslaved individuals supported the economy; their stories underline coercive labor practices.

Conclusion

• The course will also reflect on the intersections of race, gender, and class in historical urbanization and capitalism.