Ideologies in the Industrial Revolution

The French and industrial revolutions triggered dramatic political and social
consequences and new theories to deal with them. The ideologies engendered by
these 19th-century revolutions -- liberalism, radicalism, socialism, nationalism,
and even romanticism -- provided their adherents with coherent views of the
world and differing blueprints for change. The responses to socioeconomic
changes reached a culmination in the revolutions of 1848, but the failure of these
uprisings left the issues raised by the economic, political, and social
transformations unresolved well into the 20th century.
Ideologies developed and took root throughout society as a response to
industrial and political revolutions.

Liberals emphasized popular sovereignty, individual rights, and enlightened

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self-interest but debated the extent to which all groups in society should actively
participate in its governance.

Radicals and republicans demanded universal male suffrage and full

citizenship without regard to wealth and property ownership; some argued that
such rights should be extended to women.

Socialists called for the redistribution of society’s resources and wealth and
evolved from a utopian to a Marxist scientific critique of capitalism.

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Nationalists encouraged loyalty to the nation in a variety of ways, including
romantic idealism, liberal reform, political unification, racialism with a
concomitant anti-Semitism, and chauvinism.
Romanticism and ideologies of such began to spread, which led to the
creation of urban parks, which was the goal of reformers who saw green
spaces as a solution to the dirt and chaos of the city. The nineteenth-century
middle and upper-middle classes, which believed in the redemptive power of
nature. Not only was fresh air good for city dwellers’ lungs, but the very sight
of green grass, trees, and flowers was thought to be a source of moral uplift.
Politicians were swayed by their claims.

As a result of which, New York City built Central Park in 1858. The middle
class sometimes feared the working class would behave inappropriately in
parks, and places like Central Park often prohibited visitors from picnicking
on the grass, picking flowers, and playing games on the lawn.

Journalism played an important role in exposing the poor housing that

many urban factory workers lived in. These often included tenements—crowded
buildings, often hastily put up and with few toilets—where large families often
shared tiny apartments. Glasgow, in Scotland (northern Britain), was one of the
first cities to have large tenements, meant to house workers in the industrial
dockyards. Because they were cheap housing, they soon spread.

Many prolific and amateur journalists wrote about the terrible conditions in
New York City's tenements. Certain journalists wanted to influence public
opinion and get the city's government to create new housing designs to ease
crowding and improve safety. Articles described how as many as 12 adults slept
in a room that was only 13 feet wide. Following such reports, the city conducted
studies of tenements. In 1901, city officials passed the Tenement House Law.
This set higher standards for safety and sanitation in the tenements. Some
improvements included higher quality construction materials, mandatory fire
escapes, and more windows, giving residents access to air and light.
 Utopianism or utopian socialism, which focused on perfecting
society, dominated in the late 19 th century. French visionaries like
Henri de Saint-Simon and Charles Fourier wrote of ideal societies
based on sharing and cooperation. They sought to completely alter
society and often advocated innovations like communal housing, free
love, and women’s rights—all considered radical at the time. Some
reformers tried to establish utopian communities based on these ideals.
For example, Robert Owen, a British textile manufacturer, tried to put
some of these ideas into practice in the British village of New Lanark,
where the employees of his father-in-law’s textile-mill lived. Similarly,
residents of the town New Harmony in Indiana worked an eight-hour
day, lived in decent housing, and raised their children communally.

As a result of all these uprisings and civilians voicing their thoughts and
ideologies through various means, governments, at times based on the
pressure of political or social organizations, responded to problems created
or exacerbated by industrialization.

Reforms transformed unhealthy and overcrowded cities by modernizing

infrastructure, regulating public health, reforming prisons, and establishing modern
police forces. The reforms were enacted by governments motivated by such forces as
public opinion, prominent individuals, and charity organizations.

• Sewage and water systems

• Public lighting
• Public housing
• Urban redesign
• Parks
• Public transportation