The emergence of the working class and the new urban middle class during the 19th century was a process that began after the Industrial Revolution and the progressive disappearance of the structures of the old regime.
This is not to say that society changed suddenly, rather it was a transformation that took several decades.
At that time, the working class was understood as the workers who began to occupy their jobs in the factories. These began to replace agricultural work as the main source of work.
For its part, the urban middle class was one that was beginning to access higher education, many of them having liberal professions.
Background
The concept of "social class" began to be used during the nineteenth century, since what existed until then were divisions more marked by birth (except in the case of the clergy) than by the type of work and studies one had.
Although there are several definitions, the term "social class" refers to the division in society depending on work and other factors, such as economic level.
Thus, the factory workers were called the "working class"; and merchants, artisans, and the industrial petty bourgeoisie, among others, were called the "middle class."
Working class
Since the Industrial Revolution, the weight of the economy began to shift from the countryside to the city, where large factories were built.
Although with temporal differences between the different countries, this is something that happened throughout Europe and in America.
For example, while in England this happened very early, in Mexico it was necessary to wait until the Porfiriato, in the middle of the 19th century.
This change gave rise to the appearance of a new social class: the worker. Many of them were former peasants who had to migrate to the cities to find work. They used to have no education or the possibility of obtaining it, and their income was very low.
These conditions caused abuses to be very frequent. The workers had no labor rights or bargaining power.
In many places children were even forced to work. From the Marxist point of view, it was the proletariat, whose only wealth was its children (offspring).
Along with this class appeared the labor movements, which tried to organize the workers to fight for improvements.
In any case, they had to wait until the 20th century for some things to start to change.
New urban middle class
Along with the working class, another of the great novelties of this century is the gradual emergence of an urban middle class.
Previously, with the clear division of the old regime, it had only been possible to create a gentry composed of large landowners with great purchasing power.
The new urban middle class is the result of the growing importance of cities in the structure of countries, replacing life in the countryside. Thus, landowners begin to take a back seat.
Likewise, access to education for certain social sectors in the city contributes to the emergence of this middle class.
These are people who have studies, many of them advanced and focused on the liberal professions, such as lawyers, journalists or doctors.
Their income level, even if it does not reach that of the upper bourgeoisie, is important, which allows them to be influential.
In fact, revolutionary movements are frequently led by them, as is the case in parts of Europe or Mexico.
References
- History and Biographies. The formation of the Working Class in Europe. Obtained from historiaybiografias.com
- Oyon Bañales, José Luis. Urban History and Worker's History. Recovered from etsav.upc.edu
- Nevada University. The Industrial Revolution and The Social Question. Recovered from faculty.unlv.edu
- Helgeson, Jeffrey. American Labor and Working-Class History. Retrieved from americanhistory.oxfordre.com
- History Doctor. Rich, Poor, and Middle Class Life. Recovered from historydoctor.net