1. Article 43: The Effects of Industrialization and Capitalism The Industrial revolution, which began in Europe in the mid to late 19 th Century, was driven by capitalist economic systems and affected almost every are of life, sometimes for good and sometimes at a great social cost.

2. Capitalism and Social Darwinism  Western Nations that developed industrial economies were motivated by capitalism that is, by an economic system in which success and continued development depends on profit.  In a capitalist economic system, profit is generated through control of the tools of production by the few who have capital, the financial resources, to create the enterprise. Those who work for them receive wages.  Increased profits for the enterprise do not translate into increased wealth for everyone, instead they belong to the owners. The owners might in turn use those profits to create other enterprises or expand existing ones. Any profits not needed for running or expanding the enterprise belong to them.  In the 19 th Century, capitalists were motivated by a desire to grow their enterprises and increase their personal wealth often at the expense of workers.  A commonly accepted principle among industrialists of the time was Social Darwinism. The belief emerged in England and the United States in the 1870s, and sought to apply the principles of Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection to sociology and economics.

3. Social Darwinists  According to Social Darwinists, the concept of survival of the fittest applied in the economic sphere as well, meaning that “superior people” rise to the top and grow wealthy while the less capable can never attain more than the wages those at the top pay them.  Social Darwinism provided a theoretical rationalization for harm done by unchecked capitalism. [ex. Monopolies]  Unjust conditions and low wages were seen as necessary in the workplace in order for owners of industry to triumph over their competition.  So yes technological advances occurred during the Industrial Revolution that we continue to benefit from today, but they came at a cost to those who labored to keep engines of industry and capitalism moving.  These workers often immigrant, poor, and uneducated, were frequently exploited. They endured many injustices, including working in sweatshops, where the conditions were deplorable and often dangerous, the hours long, and the wages so low that families remained in poverty.  Workers did not receive pensions or sick leave. Children as young as four were employed in factories, in mines, earning 10-20 percent of an adult male’s wage.

4. Bishops defend the Rights of Workers  Workers in the late 1800s were at the mercy of capitalists who employed them. They suffered many indignities and had few, if any, protections. They were denied the right to form unions or mount strikes. Those who tried to unite to bargain for better wages would be fired when their union was discovered.  Bishops spoke out on behalf of workers, they gave a voice to voiceless workers, who were often treated as cogs in the wheel of industry. In 1872 Cardinal Manning of Britain backed British farmers in a labor dispute. This was the first time a bishop had spoken out against management in support of laborers. In 1889 he sided with workers in the London Dock Strike.  In 1886 Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore defended the Knights of Labor, a labor union that had grown to nearly 700,000 members, many of them Catholic against condemnation by the Vatican. Not long after, in 1891, Pope Leo XIII wrote Rerum Novarum. [The Birth of Social Doctrine]  The Church’s social doctrine places strong emphasis on the just treatment of workers and defends the rights that workers should enjoy so that their dignity is respected and the value of their work is properly recognized. The first and most important right is the right to work itself, as a means to living with dignity.  The church defends the rights of workers to form labor unions and associations to advocate for their rights and to strike when it is necessary to protect their rights. However striking becomes morally unacceptable when workers resort to violence or when their objectives are contrary to the common good.

5. Article 44: The Birth of Social Doctrine  In countries affected by the Industrial Revolution, such as the United States and Great Britain, living conditions could be described as nothing short of miserable.  In some countries many people were unemployed and starving, and those with jobs were paid such poor wages they had no hope of escaping poverty.

6. The Church’s Response  To the misery wrought upon so many by industrialization, Pope Leo XIII wrote the first of modern social encyclicals, On the Condition of Labor [Rerum Novarum] in 1891.  In the opening encyclical he states the conditions that he felt obligated to address: “In any case we clearly see, and on this there is general agreement, that some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly in the majority of the working class…The hiring of labor and conduct of trade are so concentrated in the hands of comparatively few; so that a small number of very rich men have been able to lay upon the teeming masses of the laboring poor a yoke little better than that of slavery itself. (3)  On the Condition of Labor was a groundbreaking document. It addressed the new social problems created by industrialization and made specific judgments about how to respond morally, based on Divine Law.  It also identified counter flaws in Marxism, which argues against private ownership of property.

7. Important points Pope Leo XIII make in Rerum Novarum:  Workers have a right to work with dignity and at a wage that can support families, reasonable work hours (including time off for Sundays & holidays), safe working conditions, with strict limits on child labor.  Workers should be free to organize associations (unions) to negotiate working conditions.  Governments must serve the common good and make the protection of basic human rights (of all people & classes) their first priority.  The right to private ownership or property in enshrined in both natural law and Divine Law (including the 7 th commandment). Private ownership of property is consistent with human nature. By promoting the dignity of work and enabling parents to provide for their families, private property provides for the “peace and tranquility of human existence” (Rerum Novarum, 11).  The earth and all its goods belong to God, and he intends these goods to provide the things all human beings need to live with dignity. This principle of the universal destination of goods takes precedence even over the right to private property.

8. Catholic Social Doctrine Documents Since On the Condition of Labor, numerous papal and Vatican documents have added to the Church’s social doctrine.  The Reconstruction of the Social Order (Quadragesimo Anno) Pope Pius XI, 1931 Criticizes capitalism and socialism Criticizes the growing gap between those who are rich and those who are poor Introduces the concept of subsidiarity  Christianity & Social Progress (Mater et Magistra) Pope John XXIII, 1961 Expresses concern for workers and women Criticizes the gap between rich nations and poor nations Says that excessive spending on weapons threatens society

9.  Peace on Earth (Pacem in Terris) Pope John XXIII, 1963 Warns against modern warfare, especially nuclear weapons Says peace can be achieved through only a just social order Gives a detailed list of the human rights necessary for a just social order  The Church in the Modern World (Gaudiem et Spes) Second Vatican Council, 1965 Says the Church must serve the world and work with other organizations in promoting the common good Condemns the use of weapons of mass destruction Maintains that peace is not just the absence of war, but justice throughout society  The Development of Peoples (Popularum Progressio) Pope Paul VI, 1967 Calls for true progress toward economic, social, cultural, and spiritual fulfillment of human potential Teaches that economic development of poor people and the moral development of those with material wealth are linked Criticizes unrestrained capitalism where profit is the primary motive and where private ownership is an absolute right

10.  A Call to Action (Octogesima Adveniens) Pope Paul VI, 1971 Encourages Christians and all people of goodwill to continue their work for social justice Urges awareness of important social needs and social injustices Offers analysis of the most appropriate responses to those needs and injustices  On Human Work (Laborem Exercens) Pope John Paul II, 1981 Says work is at the center of social issues Says all people who are able to work have both the right and the duty to work Emphasizes that workers have rights and are more important than profits or the things they make  The Hundredth Year (Centesimus Annus) Pope John Paul II, 1991 Says communism collapsed because it treated people as objects, not spiritual beings Says capitalism is efficient, but it is flawed when it is not oriented toward the common good Teaches the right to private property does not take precedence over the distribution of the world’s resources

11.  Charity in Truth (Caritas in Veritate) Pope Benedict XVI, 2009 Says justice must be applied to every aspect of economic activity Teaches that both the exclusion of religion from society and religious fundamentalism are obstacles to a just society Says that technology should not drive our society, but serve the common good  The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise & Our Response U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1983 Says peace based on deterrence may be acceptable as an interim measure, but is not a genuine peace and is not an acceptable long-term solution to the threat of nuclear war Says money spent on the nuclear arms race is money that cannot be used to help fight poverty and hunger Teaches that the nuclear arms race must end, the stockpiles of existing nuclear weapons must be reduced and eventually eliminated, and the creation of new nuclear weapons must be stopped  Economic Justice for All: A Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1986 Says economic decisions must be judged by how they protect or undermine human dignity Says all members of society have an obligation to help those who are poor and vulnerable Says the Church should be an example of economic justice in how it treats its employees, invests its savings, and serves people in need