The Rise of the Middle Class
The mid-19thcentury marked a period of significant transformation worldwide. The period is associated with the emergence of the middle class, which materialized between 1840 and 1880. In this period, the workers in American cities held hard jobs with low pay. The aristocracy and working-class social cohort caused cultural, political, and economic changes. Comprising people from different occupations, such as trade and specialized labour, the middle class witnessed the rise of unparalleled proportions aided by industrialization, urbanization, and education. By 1890, the top one percent of wealth-holders owned a quarter of America’s assets (Kopczuk & Saez, 2004).
Even though labour exploitation was implemented at that stage of modernization and industrialization, not only was misery a key part of it. To satisfy the increasing demand for administrative staff, as more factories and offices were opened, the distinctive cultural identity with such a set of elements as education, refinement, and respectability emerged. The emergence of neutral gender clerical professions of a middle class of educated office workers was empowering. It channelled extra money to consume more products in an expanding range of consumer goods and recreational pursuits. On the political front, the middle class championed liberal causes and democratic ideals as part of the wider struggle for suffrage, electoral reform, and an extension of civil rights. The contribution of the middle class motivated society to be ideologically changed. It fueled political reform movements and market dynamism. This essay aims to describe how the society’s culture, politics, economy, and the power of the middle class were interconnected and how they forever influenced the society of that era. This exploration will cover gender relationships, family life, social spaces, and economic activities to reveal their complexity and impact on society.
The Composition and Characteristics of the Middle Class
The middle-class society took a new shape in the mid-19th century. It emerged as a dominant force in the social and economic scale-up. The course involved small business owners and artisans running little factories and stores(Archer, 1988). This group had people who valued respectability. They tried to instil this value into society’s new lower middle class. Besides that, the class comprised bankers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, and other white-collar workers. The difference between the middle and working classes was education, skill, and enterprise, which were guarantors of financial success rather than inherited wealth and status like an aristocracy or manual labour like the working class. It struggled to preserve or elevate its status and that of the offspring since they lacked the safety net of immense riches and were terrified of falling into the ranks of wage labourers.
Factors contributing to the growth of the middle class
The development of the middle class during this period was due to the convergence of several factors. With more sophisticated production machinery and increasing urbanization, industrialization opened new avenues of entrepreneurship and employment in manufacturing, commerce, and services(Bengtsson & Prado, 2019). Urbanization, which drew the crowd from the suburbs to the cities for work, also contributed to the expansion of the middle class in the cities. Furthermore, led by education and literacy, social mobility grew, allowing individuals to pursue careers like law, medicine, or academia.
Characterized by its fluidity and upward mobility, the middle class allowed individuals to ascend the social ladder through education, merit, and enterprise. They prioritized orderliness, morality, hard work, education, and politeness. Success in life was a result of their education and hard work. The middle class offered opportunities for self-improvement and advancement based on talent and effort rather than social status predetermination by birth(Gromkowska-Melosik & Boron, 2023). Consequently, children from middle-class families did not labour in industries. They went to school and spent their leisure time playing games and toys to help them develop the morals and abilities they would need to succeed. Members of the middle class started limiting their child count. It took money and care to raise children “correctly” because they were no longer economically valuable to the family. Which is why having fewer of them made sense.
Cultural Changes
The rise of the middle class during the mid-19th century profoundly influenced cultural practices, values, and norms. Attitudes, mindset, behaviour, and self-definition defined the class. Solidification and positioning of this social spectrum shaped the era’s cultural landscape. With the “cash is equal to class” mindset, the middle-class culture prized intellectual pursuit, moral rectitude, and social propriety(Bengtsson & Prado, 2019). This value reflected the class aspirations and ideals. They propagated their values through educational institutions, religious organizations, and cultural institutions. This shaped the attitudes and behaviours of middle-class individuals and communities.
With the growth of income, the middle class adopted different leisure activities. Their families prioritized education and moral upbringing, fostering a culture of domesticity and sentimentality that idealized the nuclear family and its role in social reproduction(Friedman, 2023). Furthermore, the authors and intellectuals of the time produced works reflecting the experiences and aspirations of the social milieu. This shaped the literary and artistic movements of the period. Furthermore, gender roles and family dynamics underwent a significant transformation. The ideal of the “domestic sphere” emerged, valorizing the role of women as moral guardians of the household and nurturers of children.
Political Changes
The ascent of the middle class in the mid-19th century catalyzed significant political developments as middle-class individuals sought to assert their influence and advocate for reform and representation within the political sphere. They played active roles in various political reform movements of the period, seeking to expand democratic rights and liberties. From the Chartists in Britain to the liberals in continental Europe, middle-class activists campaigned for suffrage, electoral reform, and the extension of civil liberties(Michaelle, 2019). Their efforts aimed to democratize political institutions and dismantle barriers to political participation.
The middle class, being liberal and progressive, supported their rights and interests. This sent them in the opposite direction to the capitalists. Such elements as free trade, constitutional government, and social reform ventures directed at addressing urban poverty and social inequality. Affluent middle-class intellectuals and politicians developed blueprints for a social order where justice and equality would be the principal pillars while fighting for social and economic policies enabling fair opportunity for everyone(Michaelle, 2019). The middle-class stream originated the political institutions and organizations that fought for their interests and aspirations. Whether from chambers of commerce, trade bodies, and professional associations to political parties, pressure groups, or common societies, middle-class organizations offered platforms for collective action and advocacy. The institutionalization of such bodies provided channels for middle-class voices to be heard, shaped public discourse, and fused influences in decision-making.
Economic Changes
The rise of the middle class in the mid-nineteenth century had profound implications for economic structures, patterns of production, and market dynamics. Their disposable money characterized the middle class. It helped form the backbone of entrepreneurship and business growth. This brought creativity, economic advancement, and urban expansion through manufacturing, retail, and service ventures. Consumer culture took off due to consumers’ ability to purchase items previously regarded as luxury(Bengtsson & Prado, 2019). Middle-class ladies could now shop at one of the newly established department stores instead of sewing their garments by hand. Mail-order catalogues offered many things that would turn on the doorstep if department stores were too far away. As industries spread, the extent of pockets of poverty increased. Cities grew densely populated and were beset by illness and crime. The middle class had the means to escape the slums where the working class was forced to live in tenement buildings. Suburbanization resulted from this, as walking became impractical and other forms of transportation were required.
Intersections and Impacts
The rise of the middle class during the mid-nineteenth century intersected with cultural, political, and economic changes. It shaped the trajectory of historical development and left a lasting impact on society. Economic growth, the main factor that propelled the middle class’s ascent, opened up new career paths for white- and blue-collar employees and entrepreneurs alike. Although they could enter the workforce, women more frequently worked as receptionists or secretaries than managers or physicians(Sysling, 2021). The class came with salary differences as women earned much less than men. When a woman was married, she would usually quit her career to take care of her family and fulfil her role as a wife while her husband was at work. The middle-class wife’s job was to take care of the house and buy groceries for the family.
The middle age came with new technologies. The development of the telephone, railroads, and steamships increased communication and transportation, which promoted economic expansion and created more job opportunities. Furthermore, the middle class was able to flourish because of the policies, laws, and other initiatives implemented by the government.
Conclusion
The turn of the mid-19th century can be counted as a period of radical changes in people’s lifestyles brought forth by the growth in influence of the middle class in cultural, political, and economic realms. This social stratum featuring diversity and dynamics was behind the transformation of societal structures and values. They focused on education, etiquette, and social promotion. The middle class advocated for political transformation through their transitioning and influence on the government. Besides, they drove economic development through many of their small businesses and local spending patterns. This contributed to the changing gender roles, family norms, and societal standpoints, driven by evolving gender attitudes and the lack of hierarchy. Nowadays, the legacy of the middle class is one of the distinctive characteristics of the society. This is an example that the middle class is extremely important in politics and economics. By looking at this period, we understand the complex nature of social change and how collective action has a creative force in pushing for a better and more prosperous future.
References
Archer, J. (1988). Ideology and Aspiration. Journal of Urban History, 14(2), 214–253. https://doi.org/10.1177/009614428801400203
Bengtsson, E., & Prado, S. (2019). The rise of the middle class: the income gap between salaried employees and workers in Sweden, ca. 1830–1940. Scandinavian Economic History Review, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/03585522.2019.1650293
Friedman, S. L. (2023). Opting out of the city: lifestyle migrations, alternative education, and the pursuit of happiness among Chinese middle‐class families. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.13917
Gromkowska-Melosik, A., & Boron, A. (2023). Chinese women in society: Confucian past, ambiguous emancipation and access to higher education. International Journal of Chinese Education, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2212585×231181703
Kopczuk, W., & Saez, E. (2004). Top wealth shares in the United States, 1916–2000: Evidence from estate tax returns. National Tax Journal, 57(2), 445-487.
Michaelle, B. (2019). Political Ideologies in the Middle East and North Africa. In The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of the Middle East. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=MI-aEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA123&dq=The+ascent+of+the+middle+class+in+the+mid-19th+century+catalyzed+significant+political+developments+as+middle-class+individuals+sought+to+assert+their+influence+and+advocate+for+reform+and+representation+within+the+political+sphere.+&ots=ZVvpTWxHEO&sig=rCBo5cDFHvRqqpu8WADddh7wg-0
Sysling, F. (2021). Phrenology and the average person, 1840–1940. History of the Human Sciences, 34(2), 27–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/0952695120984070
write