Social Class Structure in the 19th Century

The Social Class System

A. The Upper Classes

1. The Aristocracy

   The aristocracy lost some of its social dominance when its rights over the peasants were abolished and it began to pay taxes. In general, it did not invest in new business until well into the 20th century. Aristocrats held leading positions in government, justice, the military, and diplomacy. They enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle, which the bourgeoisie tried to imitate.

2. The High Bourgeoisie

   The high bourgeoisie became the most powerful class in industrial society. This group included successful businesspeople, financiers, high-ranking officials, and the most important doctors, lawyers, and journalists. They invested their capital in new industries and ran them with an entrepreneurial mentality. They lived in new neighborhoods on the outskirts of cities, with comfortable homes surrounded by gardens. They visited the theatre, the opera, and dances regularly, and spent summers on the coast or in spas. They attributed their wealth to their bourgeois values, such as hard work, saving, and enjoying the security of family life.

B. The Middle Class or Petite Bourgeoisie

This class emerged at the end of the 19th century. The middle classes were made up of tradesmen, shopkeepers, artisans, teachers, small business owners, mid-level government officials, and army officers. Many of them owned property, although they were less wealthy than the high bourgeoisie. This class shared bourgeois values with the high bourgeoisie, such as the belief that work and savings were the key to acquiring wealth. They did their best to ensure their children were educated. In politics, this class supported reforms that allowed them to participate fully in political life. Their limited leisure time was spent in cafés, casinos, or social clubs (in the case of men). Both women and men were great readers. They maintained a good standard of living, but without excessive luxuries.

C. The Lower Classes

1. The Peasants

   They formed the majority of the population in the 19th century. Their conditions varied greatly from region to region:

   • In northern and western Europe, many peasants were landowners.
   • In the south, there were more day labourers.
   • In central and eastern Europe, peasants were serfs until the mid-19th century.

2. The Proletariat

   They were the workers who possessed only their labour, which they exchanged for a salary. They performed tasks that required little skill and were paid very low salaries, which they could barely survive on. Children left school at a young age to start work and support their families. With little education, they could not improve their position in society. These children often worked 12 or more hours a day.

3. House Servants or Domestic Service

   They earned very low salaries and lived in the attics of the houses where they worked. They worked more than 12 hours a day and only had one afternoon off a week.