19th Century European Urbanization

During the late 19th century, Europeans saw an increase in industrialization, this time having no gaps between Britain and the rest of the continent. New political parties, socialist groups, and trade unions emerged. Urban life was predominant. Despite persisting traditional political and social views, late 19th century Europeans realized more government participation and an advancement for previously ignored or persecuted minority groups. Politically, Europe experienced change when the government participated more actively in the lives of the general populous. One of the chief causes of this were the growing city concerns. With the increasing urbanization came overcrowding, specifically in Paris. The city’s streets had provided battlegrounds
for more than sixty years, most recently in the revolutions of 1848. This was of more concern to Napoleon III and his government, him being the French emperor, so he created a plan to redesign Paris. This project was very political in a sense because it allowed for quick deployment of troops, allowing the government to put down riots. The cholera epidemics in the 1830s and 1840s also provided a way for the government to intervene. Government officials demonstrated that sanitary reforms would remove those dangers, and people now went straight to government officials, believing that they had the ability to solve the problem. This gave the government a new power over the citizens. These sanitation reforms made by the government inevitably gave them even more influence. Various laws including the Public Health Act of 1848 in Britain, and the Melun Act of 1851 in France introduced new government control over private life. It specifically allowed private property to be condemned for posing health hazards, and private land was free to be dug up for the construction of the new sewers. There were also new building regulations that put restraints on the activities of private contractors. Aside from the city, the government also had the ability to intervene through new trade unions being formed. In Britain, France, and Germany, these unions were all legalized by 1890. Specifically in Great Britain, these unions allowed citizens to take an interest in participating in parliament. The unions caused strikes, which ultimately caused the government to take a larger role in mediating them. Overall, these unions allowed the members to show their support for the liberal party candidates. Despite these changes, Britain was still predominantly liberal, as it was before. It is shown through not only their trade unions support for liberal candidates, but the liberal motives behind the feminist movements, and their achievement of Jewish emancipation. Socially, Europeans noticed an advancement of minority groups that were previously ignored or persecuted.
In 1782, Joseph II issued a decree that placed the Jews of his empire under the same laws as Christians. In 1789, the National Assembly in France recognized Jews as French citizens. During the time of the Napoleonic wars, Jewish communities in Italy and Germany were allowed to mix with the Christian population. This emancipation of European Jews was a huge change coming from being a segregated group to being nearly equal to other groups in citizenship. This led to the birth of Zionism, a movement within the Jewish community that was initially a minority. It gained popularity as people believed that their communities would remain safe under the liberal legal protections that had been extended to them. Women had always been a minority, and at this point they still were. However, there were many feminist movements at this time that gained popularity. One of the most advanced movements was the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Society in Great Britain led by Millicent Fawcett. It rallied almost a half a million women in London. Similar to that, another minority group that gained popularity during this time were suffragettes, or women who were seeking the right to vote. Later in history, they did eventually gain that right in 1918 in Great Britain. Despite all of these rising feminist groups, it was undeniable that women were still a minority. In many cases, they still had to rely on their husband and didn’t have a job during the time they were married. Their role only as a wife and mother in charge of the home carried on throughout this time
period. Politically, 19th century Europeans noticed the government increasingly intervening. Socially, there was an advancement for groups that were previously a minority. However, the changes that Europe did see during this time were not only political and social, but also economic. Europe underwent a “second industrial revolution” during the 19th century, which led to overall economic expansion as the first one did. However, this new industry over time led to new economic difficulty. From 1873 and beyond, economic advance slowed, mainly due to bad weather and foreign competition. It is also important to note that Europe did not only see changes during the time. Despite the rising feminist groups, it was clear that women were still a minority. Also, it is clear that Britain was still predominantly liberal. Regardless of the preservation of some of these traditional values, the amount of changes that Europe underwent in the late 19th century were astounding.