Chapter 15

European Civilization

Workers

• In dealing with employers – two choices

• Abolish the capitalists (socialism)

• Or

• Bargain with them

English labor

• Gives labor consent for labor unions

• Prosperity of 1850’s gave unions superior bargaining position against employers

• New Model Unionism – take the unions out of politics, forget socialism

• Concentrate on advancing interests of each separate trade

New Model Unionism

• Be reasonable with employers

• Avoid strikes

• Accumulate union funds

• Build up membership

• Two governing parties in England – combined to give worker the vote

Unskilled Labor unions form

• Industrial unionism – joining in one union of all workers in one industry

• Because labor unions were so successful in Britain – they lacked labor political parties

Labor party formations

• On the continent – labor unions formed and led by socialist political parties

• In England – British labor party formed by Labor union officials and middle class intellectuals

• British labor party less socialistic• Aimed to defend union

Taff Vale Decision 1901

• Held a union financially responsible for business losses incurred by an employer during a strike

• This decision unifies British labor to form modern Labour party

• Election of 1906 – 29 mbrs were sent to parliament – overturned this decision

Marx and the first International

• Int’l Working Men’s Association

• Marx becomes leader – uses it as a way to publicize his work Capital

• Seize the state

• Marx – not an anarchist, not willing to negotiate with the state

The Commune and the First International

• Mbrs of the first international – excited about the Commune

• Marx saw it as a beginning stage in the dictatorship of the proletariat

• Their connection would ultimately destroy the reputation of F.I.

Socialist parties appear

• 1875 – GR Social Demo. Party

• Belgian Socialist Party

• 1901 – France

• 1883 – Russia

• Marxism not successful in Spain and Italy nor in England

Revisionists

• Many of Marx’s predictions about the poor getting poorer were wrong

• Revised their ideas about capitalism and class conflict

Revolutionaries

• Syndicalists – Sorel – trade unionism

• Workers’ unions might themselves become the supreme authoritative institutions in society

• Worldwide general strike

Marxists fundamentals

• In protest against revisionists• Believed it a betrayal for socialists to join

the govt• Revisionists are traitors to Marx• Russia – VI Lenin – stamped out

revisionism and the uncompromising Marxists were named Bolsheviks

• Mensheviks - minority

Feminism

• British and American - the right to vote• Continent – legal and social reforms• National and international

organizations• International Council of Women –

1888 – American and European feminists

English suffrage

• Parliament had rejected every attempt at women’s voting since 1860

• Pankhurst and others led violent protests

• Broke windows, damaged federal buildings, hunger strikes

Evolution

• Charles Darwin’s – Origin of the Species

• Evolutionary philosophies become commonplace (understand the dvlpment)

• 1871 – Darwin’s Descent of Man applied evolution to humans

Evolution

• No species created remains unchanged• All life was interrelated• History of living things on earth –

unified history unfolding in the process of evolution

• Organisms with the most useful characteristics survived

Survival of the fittest

• Natural selection meant that the fittest would survive in the world

• The favored races were strains within a race that had good survival skills

evolution

• Survival of the fittest merged with Realpolitik

• Science in human affairs

• Social Darwinism

• Some peoples were naturally superior to others according to this doctrine

Gregor Mendel Genetics

• Heredity and control over genetic materials

Anthropology

• Study the physical and cultural characteristics of all branches of humankind

• Physical anthropologists became interested in several “favored” human races

• Argument of Whites as the most competent race

Anthropology and Religion

• Some of the most sacred practices of Christians could be found among premodern societies

• Thinnest of lines divided religion and magic

Psychology

• Science of human behavior

• Pavlov’s Dog

• Human behavior could be explained on the basis of conditioned responses

• Sigmund Freud- founding of psychoanalysis

Freud

• Believed that certain forms of emotional disturbances were from earlier periods of patients’ lives

The New Physics

• Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

• Nature of matter and energy

• Discovery of radioactivity (atom is not permanent and unchanging)

• Matter could be converted

• Time, space and motion were relative

Classical paganism Nietzsche

• Low opinion of modern, democratic societies

• Concept of the Superman• Qualities of courage, love of danger,

intellectual excellence, beauty of character were prized

• All humans driven by their instincts more than reason

Vatican council 1870

• Papal infallibility • Matters of faith and morals – final

authority• Leo XIII – rerum novarum 1891 – found

fault with capitalism for the poverty and degradation of human beings

• Supports only a Catholic socialist party

Jewish Emancipation

• Science and secularism has a tremendous effect

• Gave up their Jewish way of life and assimilated into their respective countries

• Many old discriminatory laws were rejected by countries in Europe

Rise of Anti Semitism

• 1900 – racist theories – dislike of Jewish business competitors

• Upper class fears of Jewish revolutionaries (Marx)

• Growth of ethnic nationalism

• Leads to violence – ex – pogroms in Russia

• Founding of Zionism

Classical Liberalism

• Classical Liberalism – (John Locke) and the liberty of the individual

• Stress on the autonomy of the individual leads to things like the women’s movement

• People capable of the free use of reason and were seen as rational

Rational

• People could discuss their differences and make compromises

• Liberals accepted the idea of universal male suffrage

• Belief in toleration, constitutionalism, laissez faire, free trade, international economic system

Decline of liberalism

• Ideals of free trade will diminish with the new industrialization of other countries

• Need for protection economically• National competition for world

markets and colonies – imperialism will take out liberalism

Economic nationalism emerges

• Nations will get stronger economically thru the use of tariffs

• Formation of labor unions and corporations

• Undermine the idea of individual competition

• Political leaders will be made to address social problems