Industrial Revolution FRQ

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.

The Industrial Revolution was an outbreak of technology and ideas that largely affected European countries, but each in their own way. Many new inventions came to light, like the steam engine, and many new ideas for government were observed. The workplace changed all over Europe, and many factories and methods to increase production and profit came into play. Each country or region advanced, some more than others, and power was shifted back and forth. The Industrial Revolution sparked conservatism, liberalism, and nationalism in many countries around Europe because the innovations and brand new ideas gave them the power to change; some moved towards becoming a nation, and some moved towards new and improved countries and governments. 

Many countries in Europe had already established themselves as the leading powers. Countries like France, England and Russia had control over lots of land, but now they had ideas of bigger and better. With inventions like the steam engine, they could build machines that would do their work for them; thus factories came forth. The factories put lots of other businesses out of the running, and soon there were little jobs to chose from apart from the terrible ones int he factories. People were forced to work for long, hard hours in terrible, unhealthy conditions. Wages were lowered as to allow the company owners to make more profit, and because there were no other jobs, factory workers had to accept it. Even rural areas had factory-like qualities, with one group of women sewing the tops of dresses, which would then be passed on to the next, who would sew the bottoms, etc. With the great control over the proletariat, the middle class people's  and government power was greatly amplified, causing them to look for more. Ideas of better governments came into effect. Democracies, republics; anything to send their country above the rest. 

Regions like Greece and Germany, that had not previously been considered countries, suddenly had new ideas. They thought that since everyone else was coming into their own and bursting with innovation, why not them as well? They had a newfound feeling of nationalism, and they tried to become their own countries. The people had great spirit in them, knowing that they could succeed out on their own in the world. They formed together and went against the government of their presiding country, and countries like Germany succeeded. 

Both of these types of philosophies caused much spirit to form in the people. However, the type of spirit in the conservative and liberal countries was very different from that in the nationalist countries. The proletariat in the conservatives and liberals were getting angry at the sickness and poverty that was striking them because of the conditions that they had to work in. They were sick of the hunger that they faced and the fact that their children too had to work, just to feed the family. They got together and revolted, knowing that this treatment was not right. The nationalist countries, however, were filled with a different spirit. They too were tired of being oppressed, but they had a goal in mind; they wanted to break free from the country that controlled them and become their own nation. They had large senses of pride, and this caused them to revolt as well. 

The Industrial Revolution brings about thoughts of inventions, technology, advancement, and much more, but this is not all that it entailed. The great things it brought came with a price. It was not just a time of innovation, but a time of revolution. So many countries changed during this time period. Some went down from their peaks, and some went soaring into the land of being their own country.