Industrial Revolution Free Response

Explain how the Industrial Revolution influenced the rise of conservative and liberal philosophies and explain how those philosophies competed with or related to nationalism in Greece and Germany.


Thesis: The creation of unions in reaction to the horrific treatment of workers and the lack of restrictions on businesses helped boost nationalism across Europe.


I. Introduction
II. Working Conditions
III. Regulations
IV. Nationalism and the working class
V. Conclusion


The Industrial Revolution was a time of prosperity for Europe, but it was also a time of abuse.  While products were being turned out rapidly and businesses were profiting, people working in the factories were not as lucky.  They were forced to work long hours for barely any compensation.  If they complained, they could be easily fired and replaced.  There was no competition in the market, because factory owners would simply make workers work longer hours to keep prices down.  However, unions changed all that.  The creation of unions in reaction to the horrific treatment of workers and the lack of restrictions on businesses helped boost nationalism across Europe.


The Industrial Revolution was the time when unions first came into play, and with good reason.  The workers were put in dangerous situations on a daily basis, and were forced to work inhuman hours.  Without unions to petition for worker's rights, there was no reason for the owners of factories to change the way that they ran their business.  Because there were laws in many countries saying that only land-owners could vote, the factory workers had no control over matters in their country.  With the creation of unions, the common factory worker had a voice, and therefore had a sense of duty and nationalism to their country. 


By regulating the hours that people could work and the conditions that they could work in, unions also created a more stable economy.  Before unions, there was not competition between business.  To provide a cheaper product, factories would simply pay people the same amount of money to work longer hours.  When unions started regulating hours and salaries, businesses had to compete with each other.  Instead of lowering costs, they had to rely on how good their product was.  This allowed the economy to thrive, because there was choice between products.  With a good economy comes happier people, and with happy people comes loyalty to their country.


Nationalism is feeling a strong connection with one's country.  With nationalism comes loyalty, and loyalty is one of the basic needs for a country to thrive.  Without the loyalty of the working class, a country will crumble.  The working class are the people  who keep the economy, and therefore the country running.  Before unions, people of the working class had no sense of nationalism, simply because they owed their nation nothing.  After unions gave them rights, they felt that their country had respected them, and they felt a sense of pride and loyalty toward it.


The creation of unions across Europe during the Industrial Revolution was a turning point in how people felt about their country.  Being treated fairly and having a voice made all the difference to the working class.  Nationalism was achieved through proper treatment of workers, and therefore, and thriving economy based on that good treatment.  The creation of unions in reaction to the horrific treatment of workers and the lack of restrictions on businesses helped boost nationalism across Europe.