Industrialization and Social Change: 1870-1914

Economic Growth and Industrial Expansion (1870-1914)

This period witnessed the most significant increase in economic growth ever recorded in such a short time. The standard of living improved considerably in industrialized countries.

Expansion of Industrialization (1870-1914)

• Russia and Spain: Their factories were concentrated in specific regions, and their economies were not fully industrialized.
• Germany: Became the world's leading manufacturer of chemical products.
• United States: Became the leading industrial power thanks to its economic dynamism and the presence of great inventors.
• Japan: In 1868, it began to modernize intensively with the advice of European and North American technicians.

The Rise of Corporations

A characteristic of this period was the increase in companies organized as joint-stock companies. They were formed by investors who paid a sum of money to establish them.

New Types of Companies

• Consortium Banks: Groups of independent companies that made agreements to control prices, production, and markets.
• Savings Banks: Groups of companies from the same economic sector.
• Holding Companies: Financial companies formed by several companies that carry out different activities.

Women's Rights and Social Change

Injustices Suffered by Women in the Workplace

In the world of work, women earned less than half the salary of a man. There were also restrictions against women, such as not being able to attend university, and they were legally controlled by their husbands, fathers, or brothers.

The Emergence of Women's Rights Movements

Due to these injustices, in the second half of the 19th century, women's groups emerged that demanded equality with men, especially in the United States and the British Empire.

Impact of World War I on Women's Roles

The situation changed thanks to the First World War when 20 million soldiers went to fight in Europe. The jobs that men used to do had to be done by women. A large number of women joined the workforce and showed that they could perform the required tasks quite effectively.

Colonization and Global Tensions

Colonization of Asia

Except for some Portuguese and French enclaves, the Indian peninsula was colonized by the British, who considered it "the jewel in the crown".

Diplomatic Tensions After Bismarck's Fall

As diplomatic tension between the two opposing blocs increased, each bloc invested in its military, taking advantage of advances in industrialization.

Conflict Over Morocco (1905-1911)

Between 1905 and 1911, France and Germany were on the brink of war over control of Morocco, a territory that Germany coveted for its strategic value and for the raw materials it could provide to German industry.

The Balkan Wars (1912-1913)

Between 1912 and 1913, two Balkan wars broke out. In the first, an alliance of Balkan countries—Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece—declared war on the Ottoman Empire, causing its withdrawal from Europe. In the second, the former allies fought each other. Serbia, which was supported by the Russians, benefited from this war.

Conflict Between Russia and Austria-Hungary

The conflict between Russia and Austria-Hungary for control of the Balkans would set in motion the corresponding military alliances.

Consequence of the Conflict

As a consequence, the powers of the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente clashed in the First World War (1914-1918).

Slavic Nationalism and Instability in the Balkans

In Eastern Europe, many different peoples were included in the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Ottoman Empire. Most of them were Slavs, so their nationalist demands were supported by Russia, also a Slavic country. This brought great political instability to the Balkan region and resulted in several wars.

Pan-Slavism

Pan-Slavism (from the Greek pān-, everything, and Slavia) is a political and cultural movement, born of a nationalist ideology, that emerged in the 19th century with the aim of promoting cultural unity.

Goals of Pan-Slavism

Pan-Slavism, a 19th-century movement, recognized a common ethnic background among the various Slavic peoples of Eastern and East Central Europe and sought to unite those peoples for the achievement of common cultural and political goals.