Were classes an invention of the nineteenth century
Are Classes an Invention of the Nineteenth Century and Do They Apply To Your Own Seminar Study? Awareness of social classes definitely rose to prominence in the lives of the people of the nineteenth century and this was felt nationwide, not just in the specific area of my seminar study which is the North West of England. I attribute the rise in the awareness of social classes and their invention to the Industrial Revolution and its affects. ... J Morris also accredits the forming of two new social classes: the industrial employees and an urban proletariat working class, to the results of the Industrial Revolution. One of the main reasons why I believe the classes to have risen to prominence during the nineteenth century is due to the Industrial Revolution and the mobilisation of the masses during this time. ... This was the first occasion where the gap between the haves and have-nots was shown at a national level, for all to see the bridge between the social high fliers and the non entities of society, previous to the nineteenth century and Industrial Revolution there were classes to speak of but they had more general boundaries with the emphasis placed upon birth not wealth, the classes that were apparent at this time were the aristocracy and the peasants. During the Industrial Revolution there was the development of the working classes and the introduction of the middle class. I am not trying to suggest that the gap between the two classes in society was smaller pre revolution. ... Due mainly to the poorer people of society living almost on the door steps of the rich, the huge gulf in the classes of society was now being made more apparent. Friedrich Engles however, comments that Manchester was constructed differently and in fact the upper classes may not have even seen any of these “workers” he comments that “the town is particularly built, so a person may live in it for years, and go in and out daily without coming in to contact with a working person’s quarter or even with workers.