Essay On Middle Class Vs Working Class

In the early nineteenth century in France, Belgium, Great Britain and Germany, industrialization was just starting to consume Europe for the second time. Between the years of 1801-1910 Industrialization was at its peak. Although, middle-class and working-class members were not the same in the long run a few middle-class had similar ideas to the working class in regards to the harsh conditions. When comparing the middle and working class and their opinions on the work of nineteenth-century Europe it is clear to see that few middle-class members had similar opinions to those of the working class, and those few middle-class members saw the harsh conditions on the outside looking in and not really crossing social lines; whereas, the working-class …show more content…
For example, in document 1 the doctor states that the conditions the workers are working in are conditions like the habits of an animal with the terrible labor and they constantly extend and retract the same muscles. James P. Kay, a medical doctor, would believe that the conditions are too harsh and severely altering to the lives of the workers. He would know this because he has he medical background needed to fully comprehend the problem, due to the fact that he is a doctor; therefore, as a doctor, James P. Kay would have the opinion of it is too harsh in his book The Moral and Physical Conditions of the Working Classes Employed in Cotton Manufacture in Manchester. Secondly, as it says in document 4 a main reason why workers are switched in and out so often is because, “They show little concern for maintaining their skills or productivity, for they believe that they are pushed to produce more than men ought to produce.” However, on the other hand, not every middle-class member was in favor of helping the lower class, the “few” mentioned earlier. As it states in document 3, the National Archives of France states a document that says, “My workers, for example, in principle put in ninety hours a week, but I am lucky to get seventy-two hours of work from them,” meaning that he thinks they need to be pushed to 90 hours, which is 15 hours a day not working Sundays, not only …show more content…
According to a coal miner in Germany of the early 20th century in document 6 he states that conditions are so bad that, “My forehead burns like fire. As a consequence of the anemia from which I suffer, I occasionally experience a dizzy spell.” Meaning that the working conditions he has to work in make him have physicals scares. Secondly, a worker in Great Britain in the 1830 recollects on a child working 10 hours a day in document 5. He says, “I shall never forget the fatigue I often felt before the day ended,” and how when people see kids playing after work they think the kids have not been worked hard enough which is actually the opposite because the author of this document experienced first hand this is not the truth. Proving that whether it is be a little kid or a grown man, conditions are not acceptable for the working class. Lastly, if the physical conditions were not enough as it states in document 7 that “As if the bosses weren’t enough, most of my workmates and I feel the pressure of some of our own fellows,” meaning that the psychological question of if they will have a job the next day is on their mind because of the low wages, high demand and surplus of workers. Jules Lakeu, a Belgium coal miner in 1907, would think that the competition is also intimidating and hard to work with because he needs to keep his job;