Social classes during the Industrial Era

The Industrial Era made a lot of drastic changes on the lives of the people.

The two classes that take advantage from it were composed of successful and wealthy people. The middle class was composed of businessmen and many other professionals. The larger the Industrial Revolution grew, the more power these people had. These class formed new libraries, schools, and universities because the need more education (this happen happen because of the increase of the population). Middle and upper classes had better food and houses, so these classes were treated so well, they did not have any problem living during the Industrial Era.

It was different for the poor class. Many of them were replaced in factories by machines. But many others gained new jobs in factories working with machinery. Children about fifteen worked for very little wages. Children and women were not paid as much as men were. The houses had unsanitary features so it was more possible the diseases for them. They had limited privileges, few people voted, they were not allowed to do anything to improve their working condition that was legal. The use of pesticide and chemicals began to increase.

The influence of the industrial revolution in Colombia was very similar to the conditions that we explain previously. With its characteristics of disorder on the working class, produced some reactions whose consequences can still be seen. In England many workers of the time did not always receive their pay in cash but in kind, with consequent disadvantages of poor quality, and very high prices.

Workers thought that joining forces could become their own suppliers, thereby giving rise to the idea of ​​consumer cooperatives. Moreover unemployment and unsanitary working conditions when they succeeded, moved to other groups of workers to organize into cooperatives of production and work.

Since the seventies, no Colombian industrial company grew really beyond the internal market opportunities and Colombia continued to live on primary exports of coffee, coal, oil and other products, protecting the internal market and maintaining industry for the eighties was small, inefficient and uncompetitive with no participation in the international market.

The different types of power control in the past, are now different. The aristocracy is not shown a lot anymore since this type of government where power is chosen by birth, was before all those revolutions, now the opposite of aristocracy, the democracy where people have power and not the nobles, but there is something that hasn’t changed, and is the bourgeoisie. Powerful people or families own a lot of land. This is very well represented around the world, especially in Colombia, where the 12 wealthiest families like Uribe, Santo Domingo, Santos, Pastrana, and more, own 90% of Colombia´s land. But that’s only the example of high bourgeoisie, the medium class is like more common than wealthy people (not as the big families) where they own land that is not that much. The medium class are normal people that are not powerful but own some land, like farmers and workers. When we talk about the Proletarian in Colombia it hasn’t changed, since every re-election of president in Colombia, since their voices are not heard they´re going to the point where they don’t vote, and this make a very hard democracy.

The Industrial Revolution had an impact on all people. Those who could take advantage of better work and professions, those who were lucky enough to be business owners enjoy comfort and privilege. Those who were uneducated and with limited skills didn’t had a good wage. Their working and living conditions didn’t have comfort and safety, their lives were often miserable.

SOURCES

Tom(2011)Classes of people Recovered on March of 2011  extracted from:   http://www.industrialrevolutionresearch.com/industrial_revolution_classes_of_people.php

Marta(2008) Social Class. Recovered on February of 2008. extracted from:  http://countrystudies.us/colombia/38.htm
Emmanuel (2010)  Differences Between Wealthy, Middle Class and Poor in the Industrial Revolution. Recovered on October of 2010. extracted from:

http://classroom.synonym.com/differences-between-wealthy-middle-class-poor-industrial-revolution-17180.html

Maria Adelaida (2004) Social Structure of Colombia. Recovered on September of 2004. extracted from:

http://www.voyagesphotosmanu.com/social_structure_colombia.html



Sebastian Sierra
Daniel Sarmiento
Julian Echandia