“Isms” from the Industrial Revolution As industry grew in the 1700s and 1800s, the gap between the “haves”, and the “haves-not” was widening. Living and working conditions continued to get worse for the working class… Some people started calling for reform… “Let the ruling classes tremble at the Communist revolution. The proletarians (working class) have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Working men of all countries unite!”

Capitalism Leaders of the Industrial Revolution (owners of railroads, factories, and mines), did not agree with those who were calling for reform at the time. They believed in Laissez-faire (“let do” or “let them alone”) economics… People should be free to buy and sell, hire and fire, free from government Interference.

Reformers Some individuals thought society should be improved: Jeremy Bentham - Believed that: - Utilitarianism: The rightness of any action, law, or political institutionshould be measured by it’s usefulness… Usefulness could be judged by the contribution it made to human happiness and the reduction of misery. John Stuart Mill - A follower of Bentham who believed that: - He rejected Laissez-faire economics, was against monopolies, and Governments could influence the distribution of wealth by taxing income.

Socialism Some people thought that ending workers’ misery required eliminating Capitalism completely! Socialism: The belief that the means of production, capital, land, raw materials, and factories, should be owned or controlled by the society either directly or through the government. This way, wealth could be distributed equally! Robert Owen - Believed that competition caused society’s problems… Thus If cooperation replaced competition, life would improve. - Robert tried to test his theory by setting up mill towns.. One was successful (he didn’t give up all control), the other wasn’t.

Marxism One man dismissed the ideas of early socialists as impractical, he set out to provide a scientific basis for socialism… Karl Marx, working with Friedrich Engels, wrote The Communist Manifesto, where they tried to appeal to the world’s workers… Karl Mark - Believed that to get to the best government you had to go through 4 stages: 1) Feudalism - Depended on ownership of land. Land = Wealth/power It ended because the lower classes rose up. 2) Capitalism - The rise of the industry. Industry = Wealth/power The working class would rise up to crush the middle class. 3) Socialism - Private property is banned, and the state MUST control all property to distribute it equally. ANYTHING that produces wealth should be government controlled… 4) Communism - THE END OF HUMAN EVOLUTION! - People would be so use to following rules that there would no longer be the need for a government! - Government would slowly go away and people would live in harmony. This would be the perfect society…

Question to Ponder… Which country(s) do you think Marx had in mind for the first to become Communist? Think about his “ladder” of governmental education…