FREE ESSAY ON BOUREGOIS

BOUREGOIS

Historians have described the nineteenth century as a century owned and operated by the
bourgeois. They have described their influence as crucial to the development of the
industrial revolution and the changing face of government. While this statement may be
true, it does not completely encompass all of the classes that had an impact on that time
period. Other classes such as the aristocrats, working class, and even the peasantry had
significant impacts on the early and middle stages of the industrial revolution. Their
monetary contributions as well as their significant impact on the employment of the era
makes their impact undeniable. Not only were they crucial in the development of the
revolution, it can be argued that the entire process might not have materialized. While
there is no doubt that the bourgeois's place in the nineteenth century was significant,
the roles of other classes, especially the working class, has to be considered in order
to fully understand the full impact of the industrial revolution. 
The aristocrats proved to be a governmental stronghold in the nineteenth century. They
held most important government positions and served in many high seats above other
classes. The bourgeois looked up to the aristocrats and hoped to, one day, become as
powerful, if not more powerful than them. Although the bourgeois was one class lower than
the aristocrats, they liked to think of themselves as though they were part of the
aristocrats and the elite classes. The aristocrats looked down on the bourgeois as though
they were trying to imitate the highest ranking class in the social chain during the
nineteenth century. Aristocrats held governmental positions such as kings and house of
commons chairs. They were essential in decision making and in culminating their views of
what their country's next move would be in order to ensure a strong government and a
strong, effectively run country. The bourgeois was ineffective in trying to become the
aristocratic class. They acted as though they were elite, and ended up looking like they
were pathetic imitations of the aristocrats and I assume the aristocrats didn't tolerate
this too well. The bourgeois, in my opinion, proved to be poor leaders that had one
vision, to be exact replicas of the aristocratic class. The aristocrats also donated
their funds in ways that the bourgeois class could not. The aristocrats basically funded
the entire industrial revolution. 
The industrial revolution meant enormous changes throughout Britain. This amazing,
prosperous revolution was made possible by the aristocrats. The aristocrats selflessly
donated their monetary funds to the building of factories. The bourgeois also helped by
funding factories, but it was purely for the money. In my opinion, the aristocrats were
more willing to give up their money for the sake of the well-being of the country. The
other classes involved with the industrial revolution were the highly important working
class and the peasants. The working class may have been the most important and
predominant class in the nineteenth century. The industrial revolution would never have
happened without the monetary funds from the aristocrats and the workers from the working
class. They provided the country with millions of workers whether they be high skilled or
totally unskilled. They were all willing to work and to pave the way for
industrialization yet to come. These workers stepped off the farm and into city life
without looking back all for the hope that they would work in a factory and make better
wages to help support their families. The working class strived to achieve bourgeois
status, working hard everyday. In this aspect, I feel that the bourgeois was effective in
that, without knowing it, they were role models for the lower classes. Skilled workers
came closer to achieving their desired status day by day, earning money by utilizing
their skill. The working class helped the economy in Britain during the industrial
revolution. By them going to work each day, they provided the country with goods that
could be sold overseas. Thus, by 1850, Britain was the wealthiest country in the entire
world. Aside from the fact that working conditions were very poor, the working class
moved on in order to achieve their status of the bourgeois class. 
Although the peasants were not the dominating class during the nineteenth century, they
did still exist. Without the peasants, we must question whether or not the industrial
revolution would have taken place. In my opinion, the peasants played an important role
in providing food for the country. Without workers to stay on the farm and cultivate the
land, the industrial revolution would not exist. Hard working people need food to
survive, and they definitely don't have time or money to develop the lands themselves.