Effect of the Philosophy of Communism on 19th Century Factory Workers
World History
3 November 2011
Essay Question #23
Why might have the philosophy of Communism appealed to many 19th century factory workers?
During the Industrial Revolution, factory workers received little pay, worked long hours, and never saw improvement in their living and working conditions. In the mean time, the middle class was emerging. They were rich because of the enormous amounts of money created in the country because of the Industrial Revolution. Marx thought that the capitalist system would eventually fail. He described communism as “a form of complete socialism in which the means of production--all land, mines, factories, railroads, and businesses—would be owned by the people” (649). He also thought all goods and services should be shared equally. One reason Communism may have appealed to many factory workers was because all goods and services should be shared equally. Towards the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, a majority of the goods and services belonged to the middle class and aristocrats. The factory workers were upset that the goods were not shared equally. The Communist ideas would make the classes more equal which appealed to many of the workers. The Capitalist system, which created the Industrial Revolution, was thought to eventually drive factories out of business. This would leave factory working with no work and alone on the streets. Communism would create jobs and wealth for the factory workers and create wealth. Also, with the equal distribution of goods and services, there would be improved working conditions. This was very important to them. A good example is when the Luddites destroyed the factories because they were mad about working conditions. In Communism, all means of production would be owned by the people. This includes lands, mines, railroads, factories, and businesses. This is another advantage to the factory workers because it meant they no longer had to work for someone in the factories that were making
3 November 2011
Essay Question #23
Why might have the philosophy of Communism appealed to many 19th century factory workers?
During the Industrial Revolution, factory workers received little pay, worked long hours, and never saw improvement in their living and working conditions. In the mean time, the middle class was emerging. They were rich because of the enormous amounts of money created in the country because of the Industrial Revolution. Marx thought that the capitalist system would eventually fail. He described communism as “a form of complete socialism in which the means of production--all land, mines, factories, railroads, and businesses—would be owned by the people” (649). He also thought all goods and services should be shared equally. One reason Communism may have appealed to many factory workers was because all goods and services should be shared equally. Towards the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, a majority of the goods and services belonged to the middle class and aristocrats. The factory workers were upset that the goods were not shared equally. The Communist ideas would make the classes more equal which appealed to many of the workers. The Capitalist system, which created the Industrial Revolution, was thought to eventually drive factories out of business. This would leave factory working with no work and alone on the streets. Communism would create jobs and wealth for the factory workers and create wealth. Also, with the equal distribution of goods and services, there would be improved working conditions. This was very important to them. A good example is when the Luddites destroyed the factories because they were mad about working conditions. In Communism, all means of production would be owned by the people. This includes lands, mines, railroads, factories, and businesses. This is another advantage to the factory workers because it meant they no longer had to work for someone in the factories that were making