IONIAN UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF HISTORY & TRANSLATION

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, TRANSLATION AND
INTERPRETING

ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΚΟΥΤΣΟΥΡΑΔΗΣ
Ξ2016074
ΝΕΩΤΕΡΙΚΟΣ, ΕΥΡΩΠΑΪΚΟΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΣ Ι
Ζ’ ΕΞΑΜΗΝΟ
The Rise of the Middle class. The industrial revolution. Capitalism.

While capitalism is one of the most widespread topics of conversation

regarding the current status quo and the structure of the modern human
society, many, still, do not actually know where capitalism really comes
from… There are many educated and quite interesting perspectives for
this particular subject matter. Yet, some can even characterize it as
natural outcome of the human evolution, while others believe capitalism
is the Frankenstein monster created by the idea of socialism, which is
doomed to be disintegrated by its own creation. None of the above beliefs
is absolutely correct nor completely mistaken.

If we take a short trip down memory lane, we can easily observe the rise
of the middle class against feudalism in many parts of Europe. The
French Revolution is the monument of change, not only in the political
area, but also regarding human society as a whole. A huge step, or rather
a leap towards modernization. That class, socially classified as the one
between aristocracy and proletariat, was able to elevate their political,
economic and social status. Their voices, their beliefs, their decisions, for
once mattered. They were not the witless followers of the wrongfully
forced rulers. Not anymore. They could be leaders, liberators… They
could be again…hopeful. And that was only the beginning. The
bourgeoisie, as they were called by Friedrich Engels, the “town-dwellers”
literally translated, started to be a force to be reckoned with. And years
later, they would be able to advance even further…

With the Industrial Revolution following, the whole globe started to be

reshaped… The beginning happened in Great Britain, which started to
seem literally “Great”. The empire of the Britons was an excessively
ginormous system of production, processing and eventually delivery to
the whole world. From the States and Canada to the Indian subcontinent,
Great Britain was the biggest and largest supplier in the whole globe.
Supplying from liquor to vehicles, spices and tea to raw materials. The
Industrial Revolution though, was more like a radical tendency which
shifted the understanding of the global economy and had a lesser impact
on the political scenery. Yet, the middle class assumed a considerable
amount of power, due to the fact that most enterprises were private and
independent from the government. This period is considered the stepping
stone towards the establishing of capitalism.

The capitalistic system reshaped the balance in the human society. Profit
was now more important, almost than anything. Money stopped to exist
as a mere tool for transactions, but became the substitute of power. All
the corporations, factories and enterprises were aiming to the highest
production, the working class were paid cents on the dollar or more
accurately “pennies” while working 12-hour shifts. The world started to
look awfully familiar with eras that many thought they were gone for
good. The worst thing was, that back then the proletariat was being
exploited by the aristocracy, an isolated and different group or class of
people, while now the ones taking advantage of them, were their formerly
own compatriots and companions. The irony was staring them in the eye
and pulling the trigger of a fully loaded gun, made by themselves…

Nowadays, capitalism is considered the necessary evil, which fuels the

machine of the world. Although, the conditions have improved
exponentially, the essence remains the same. Money, power, hunger and
greed drives this materialistic society into uncharted territory. Nobody
can predict what may happen. Will humanity evolve and improve or
merely survive?