Free Response

Explain how the Industrial Revolution influenced the rise of conservative and liberal philosophies and explain how those philosophies competed with or related to nationalism in Greece and Germany.


       The Industrial Revolution influenced political views and philosophies in most of Europe. The Industrial Revolution made it necessary for new laws to be put in place that would, in theory, make nations more productive and successful. The workers had to be thought of throughout the Industrial Revolution; their wages had to be agreeable, their working conditions had to be bearable, and their living spaces had to be sanitary, or else factories would lose business. New philosophies arose, each claiming that with their political views, people working in factories would be happy, and the factories would still do business. The Industrial Revolution would not have happened had it not been for political philosophies such as liberalism and conservatism, and many of the ideas expressed in the philosophies coincided with the basics of nationalism. 
       In the Industrial Revolution in Europe, men who owned businesses, cotton lords, claimed to be looking out for the common man. Even though they looked condescendingly upon the poor and the unemployed, they offered to give them jobs. Factory owners were looking for unskilled laborers to work in their company so that they could pay very little and thus increase their capital. The businessmen were looking out only for themselves and their gaining wealth, and they would do anything they could to increase it. This was the philosophy of the aristocratic business owners. 
       The workers in the factories had ideas that they put to use in order to increase their wages and the quality of life. Many of the workers formed unions during the Industrial Revolution. In these unions, the people could go on strike and lobby for better wages or living spaces. The businessmen, not wanting work to cease, had to either look for new people with which to fill the factory again, or give into the demands of the workers. Laws were founded that protected the rights of the working class, and also made their workload more bearable. Laws such as the ten hours law limited the amount of work women and children did in the Industrial Revolution. This soon spread to the entire working class, as did many other laws and regulations. The working people looked out for each other and banded together in order to make it through the dawn of machines in Europe. 
       Both of these philosophies, even though they seem separate, can be linked to Germanic and Greek nationalism. Nationalism was the unification of the entire nation under one independent state. Places in Europe were becoming less dependent on foreign places, and they could function on their own if the need ever arose. Much like the workers in the Industrial Revolution, people worked together under one common set of laws, and everyone was treated equally. Nationalism was also reflected by the philosophies of the businessmen. Equal opportunities should be given to everyone, if only for selfish purposes. The goals of every philosophy expressed in the Industrial Revolution focussed on making its members able to be both successful and independent at the same time. 
       In the Industrial Revolution, people were either running businesses, working in factories, or looking for work. A set of laws were established for each party, and the fundamentals of these ideas can be determined to be either conservatism or liberalism. Nationalism was the example for the philosophical ideas expressed by the people living during the European Industrial Revolution. Each of the political views had one basic goal: To have its members united under one single goal and be able to function autonomously from the rest of the industry. Liberalism, conservatism, and nationalism were all unique, yet they were fundamentally related.