Guilds, Gears, and Grievances
What were guilds before factories?
Associations of skilled artisans regulating trade and craftsmanship.
What is liberalism mainly about?
Individual liberty, legal equality, and limited government.
Who wrote The Communist Manifesto?
Karl Marx.
What percent of Italians spoke standard Italian in 1861?
Fewer than 2%.
What was the putting-out system?
Merchants gave raw materials to households to make goods.
What did Adam Smith argue about guilds?
They were monopolistic and limited competition.
What did John Locke believe about government?
It should protect people, not control them.
What are the two main classes in Marxist theory?
Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.
What role did the army play in nationalism?
Universal conscription built shared national identity.
What major change did factories bring?
Shift from flexible home work to strict, disciplined schedules.
Why did guilds decline during the Industrial Revolution?
Smith’s ideas and mass production undermined them.
What economic idea did Adam Smith promote?
Free markets with minimal government intervention.
What is alienation in Marxist theory?
Workers feel disconnected from the products they make.
How did schools promote nationalism?
By teaching a national language and heroic national history.
What invention helped transform the textile sector?
Mechanized textile machines.
What role did guilds play in society beyond work?
Held festivals, ran charities, and organized religious events.
How did liberalism challenge monarchy?
By supporting representative government accountable to people.
What is "false consciousness"?
When workers accept exploitation as normal due to lack of awareness.
How did travel books affect nationalism?
They made Europeans compare their nations to "foreign others."
Who were the Luddites?
Workers who destroyed machines to protest mechanization.
What factors led to the decline of guilds during the Industrial Revolution?
The rise of factories, mass production, and liberal economic theories like Smith’s undermined guild control.
How did Adam Smith's “invisible hand” work?
Markets regulate themselves through supply and demand.
What does Marx say about surplus value?
Owners take most value created by workers, creating inequality.
How did nationalism exclude minorities?
Through measures like Kulturkampf and Russification.
How did mechanization fuel global trade?
It increased raw cotton demand, linking Britain to global markets.