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Example research essay topic: 18 Th And 19 19 Th Centuries - 1,485 words

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In the wake of the Industrial Revolution of the 18 th and 19 th centuries, the rift between the rich and the poor became wider and more irreparable. For those trapped in the underclass workforce, life seemed bleak and ridden with poverty give that they had no representation in the political arena and working conditions were perilous. The Industrial Revolution created a society where social classes were sharply schismatic. Charles Dickens under the visage of fiction and Karl Marx via nonfiction critiqued and offered solutions to the adversity that attended this period of industrial development. Karl Marx: Karl Marx's pamphlet, The Communist Manifesto, details the basic objective of Communism whilst simultaneously explicating the theory which buttresses the movement. According to Marx, all history has been a history of class struggles, of struggles between exploited and exploiting, between dominated and dominating classes as various stages of social development (472).

The relationship between these different classes is normally characterized by the exploitation of the proletariat, the wage laborers, by the bourgeoisie, the boss or the employer. Inevitably, a revolution will springboard from this volatile relationship of overt inequality and subjugation and there will be a reordering of society, a new class will take the place of the bourgeoisie. Such class relations were clearly present during the Industrial Revolution of the 18 th and 19 th centuries and continues to affect our society today under the guise of capitalism, an economic system founded upon private investment and profiteering. For Marx, capitalism is a way of life that is inherently quixotic; stepping on others to achieve personal gain can only leads to acrimony and conflict. The Industrial Revolution has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervor, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It has resolved personal worth into exchange value, and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered freedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable freedom Free Trade (475).

Not only did industrial development stunt social mobility but it also effaced individualism; hence, it had the net-effect of translating the bond between man and man into a money relation defined by self-interest. Yet, the proletariat make up the majority of the workforce and remain perpetually bound by their lack of privileges; therefore, the aforementioned self-interest that all should be afforded is subject to an entire system driven by their oppressors, the bourgeoisie. Moreover, the Industrial Revolution became evermore pervasive not only due to technological advancement but rather bourgeoisie control and proliferation of information regarding capitalism and industrial development. The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class (489).

In a nutshell, the ruling class molds society by promulgating ideas that best fulfill their ultimate goals; thus, industrial development and capitalism gained popular support by the bourgeoisie so as to maintain the existing social order. Eventually, he believed the proletariat would solve their problems by uniting and leading a revolution that would result in a dramatic shift in power. This revolution would not be like others before it, where property was simply passed on to the next ruling class. Since, the proletariat have no means of changing their property status, when they come to power there will be no need for ownership of private property, and society will be composed of one homogenous class of proletariat. Class conflict will no longer be a problem. The ultimate goal of The Communist Manifesto was to bring about social change by informing people about the communist movement.

Charles Dickens: Coketown, as depicted in Dickens Hard Times is a model of an industrial town; such towns were often located near newly founded factories. It may be a fictional location in the context of the industrial age, but it serves Dickens purpose of portraying the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution. Many of the details of Coketown are based on the harsh realities of industrialization, but Dickens employs hyperbole to focus the readers attention on the points he would like to criticize. At the time, it was believed that higher industrial output would increase national income which would be advantageous to everyone; under this presupposition, Coketown exists. The workings of the town are very rational; all scarce resources are utilized efficiently. Beautification is not a priority since it does not contribute to higher industrial output.

Coketown jettisons the idea of individuality and identity. The town is deprived of sentimentality and creativity by virtue of the cold mechanical philosophy of rationalism and industrialization that permeates the local populace. Coketown's buildings are void of character. With bitter irony, Dickens explains the difficulty in differentiating the infirmary from the jail; utilitarian rationale has deprived each of its own distinctiveness whilst assigning the healing process in an infirmary greater semblance to serving a sentence in jail. The church, traditionally steeped in spirituality, is no longer any different from a warehouse, a storage area for retail goods; now it is simply a product of industrialization and Utilitarianism. Dickens believes industrialization and Utilitarianism go hand in hand.

Fact, fact, fact, everywhere in the material aspect of town; fact, fact, fact everywhere in the immaterial. Utilitarianism is encapsulated in this statement and in the town; everything serves a material process. In Coketown, women are oppressed by men, because they are perceived as impractical and their work does not benefit society as much as men since they are physically stronger. Therefore, women have less value in this society.

Mrs. Gradgrind has no voice and no opinion of her own. As industrialization grew so did the need for skilled labor which meant more people needed to be educated. Education was not for the development of individuality or creativity.

On the contrary, it served a much more utilitarian purpose which encompassed the betterment of the whole. Learning became impersonal; students were taught in large groups where teachers did not know their names. Students were taught to be practical. The process of memorizing as many facts as possible is referred to as educational cramming. A teacher are considered cannon (s) loaded to the muzzle with facts, and prepared to blow them [the students] clean out of the regions of childhood. Children lose their importance as individuals and are referred to by index numbers.

Education is simply a means by which Utilitarianism creates little machines to carry out the dirty work of an industrialized society. Dickens description of the Coketown community show that workers have no escape from their problems. People are forced to resort to alcohol and drugs; crime is out of control and there is no counsel for the people. Life seems hopeless to them. Industrialization provides no comfort for the Hands, the factory workers.

Workers are described clattering home like the sound of machinery. Stephen Blackpool's own iron-grey hair is associated with the Industrial Revolution, which made heavy use of iron. His hair is almost colorless, which symbolize the replacement and destruction of himself by Utilitarianism and machinery. Dickens brings Utilitarianism to a personal level via Thomas Gradgrind and Bounderby. Both are materialists and members of the middle class; yet they firmly believe in the superiority of facts over the imagination or idle fancy. Bounderby is driven by self-interest; hence his constant desire to maximize production in his factory.

As the boss, he has no obligation to respect his workers; he does not care about the needs of other people. Living a life dedicated to self-interest may help one climb the social ladder but that prestige will be short-lived. On the other hand, Thomas Gradgrind falls into a different category. He adopted Utilitarianism because he believed it was in the best interests of the people. His beliefs are a genuine mistake, as he did not try to advance his own interest by suppressing those of others. This is evidenced by his desire to tell Sissy, the girl from a local circus, about her father abandoning her because he values honesty.

He does not intend to hurt her feelings. His ability to see the holes in his philosophy is redeeming and saves him from the self-destructive nature of his impersonal values and from becoming another propellant of industrialization. Dickens indicts the Industrial Revolution on charges of social malaise; the destruction of personality; for robbing people of the only valuable thing they have their individuality; for oppressing the women and the working class; and finally of depriving the children of a special stage in their lives their childhood. Conclusion: Dickens and Marx would have been able to agree on a remedy but only with compromise. Industry, capitalism, utilitarianism, self-interest, fact, rationalism, are forms of turpitude which decay the self-interior of ones individuality, sentimentality, and creativity. Restore mans emotions and reform the aforementioned evils, than societal rehabilitation will be one step closer to harmony.

Social inequality must be reset in order allow all persons liberty and equal opportunity; once we all have the same footing we can discuss how to fix our world.


Free research essays on topics related to: 19 th centuries, communist manifesto, industrial revolution, karl marx, 18 th and 19

Research essay sample on 18 Th And 19 19 Th Centuries

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