WORLD HISTORY
CHAPTER 20
MASS SOCIETY AND DEMOCRACY
Section 1 – The Growth of Industrial Prosperity

New Products
Steel  took the place
of iron...helped make
machines lighter,
smaller, & faster
 Steel Production (GB,
France, Germany, &
Belgium)

• 1860 – 125,000 tons
• 1913 – 32,000,000 tons
Section 1 – The Growth of Industrial Prosperity

New Products
Electricity  used for
heat, light, & motion
 Thomas Edison –
developed first American
light bulb
 Alexander Graham Bell –
telephone
 Guglielmo Marconi – radio
 Wright Brothers - airplane

Section 1 – The Growth of Industrial Prosperity

New Patterns

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Wages increased & product
costs went down
Assembly line  new
manufacturing method
developed by Henry
Ford...allowed Ford to mass
produce his Model T
automobile
Europe divided into two
economic zones...Western
Europe becomes
industrialized &
wealthy...Eastern Europe
remained agricultural &
poor
Section 1 – The Growth of Industrial Prosperity

The Communist Manifesto
Written in 1848 by Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels
 Said society was split into two groups

• Bourgeoisie – middle class...the oppressors
• Proletariat – working class...the oppressed
Marx believed the struggle b/w these two groups would
lead to a revolution
 Believed the proletariat would violently overthrow the
bourgeoisie, set up a dictatorship, and create a classless
society
 Political parties based on the ideals of Marx began to
grow throughout Europe

Section 2 – The Emergence of Mass Society

New Urban Environment
Many people moved from the countryside to cities to
find work in factories
 Population of London

• 1800 – 960,000
• 1900 – 6,500,000

Improvements in public health & sanitation helped
living conditions in cities
• Running water
• Sewage systems
• Dams & reservoirs for water
• Gas & electric heaters
Section 2 – The Emergence of Mass Society

The Marriage Ideal

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Men were viewed as tough,
source of income, the “boss”
of the relationship
Women were viewed as
innocent, homemaker,
needed to obey her husband
Family sizes (# of children)
began to decrease b/c of
better economic situation
and increased use of birth
control
Section 2 – The Emergence of Mass Society

The Family Ideal
See the growth of more
“family” celebrations 
Fourth of July and
“modern version” of
Christmas
 Most children were
working by age 9-10
 Families began to be
able to afford more
comforts such as sewing
machines & cast-iron
stoves

Section 2 – The Emergence of Mass Society

Women’s Rights
Feminism began
 Women fought for
legal rights, education
rights, voting rights,
etc.
 Many nations didn’t
grant these rights until
after WWI

Section 2 – The Emergence of Mass Society

Education



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Access to education began
to filter down from the
upper class
Children b/w 6-12 were
required to attend school
Nations began to set up
schools & universities to
help educate people
More education increased
literacy rates in
industrialized nations
Higher literacy rates helped
the growth of newspapers
Section 2 – The Emergence of Mass Society

Leisure
All forms of leisure and
entertainment began to grow
(amusement parks, dance halls,
sports)
 Changes in leisure during this time:

• 1) Leisure came to be viewed as
something fun done after work
• 2) Leisure became more passive (sit
on a ferris wheel, watch a ballgame)
• 3) Leisure became something people
paid for (amusement park, sporting
event)
Section 3 – The National State & Democracy

Triple Alliance
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Formed b/w Germany, AustriaHungary, & Italy
Germany sought allies b/c it feared
France (thought they were trying to
create an anti-German alliance)
Germany maintained a separate
treaty w/ Russia & tried to remain on
good terms w/ Great Britain
1890 – Otto von Bismarck was
removed from power in
Germany...Germany dropped treaty
w/ Russia
Otto von Bismarck
Section 3 – The National State & Democracy

Triple Entente
Formed b/w Russia,
Great Britain, &
France
 Germany became
flanked
 Led to uneasy
situation in Europe
for decades (up until
WWI)

Section 3 – The National State & Democracy

Crises in the Balkans
Austria-Hungary & Russia both tried to gain influence
over the Balkan countries
 Bosnia & Herzegovina were annexed by Austria-Hungary
 Serbia was outraged...Serbia had wanted to join up w/
Bosnia & Herzegovina to form a large Slavic-speaking
kingdom
 Russia supported Serbia...Serbia prepared for war w/
Austria-Hungary
 Germany told Russia to back down or face war
 Russia (weak military at the time) backed down but
vowed revenge

Section 4 – Toward the Modern Consciousness

Art
Monet –
impressionist painter
– Impression Sunrise
 Van Gogh –
postimpressionist
painter – The Starry
Night
 Picasso – cubist
painter – Three
Musicians

Section 4 – Toward the Modern Consciousness

Architecture

Frank Lloyd Wright
– American
architect – Falling
Water
Section 4 – Toward the Modern Consciousness

Science
Marie Curie –
discovered radiation
 Albert Einstein –
theory of relativity
 Sigmund Freud –
wrote “The
Interpretation of
Dreams”...developed
psychoanalysis –
delving deep into
someone’s memory

Section 4 – Toward the Modern Consciousness

Extreme Nationalism
Social Darwinism – idea that natural selection could
be applied to society...stronger cultures/races would
prosper while weaker ones would decline
 Anti-Semitism – “anti-Jew”...massacres of Jews were
not uncommon across Europe
 Zionism – movement for a Jewish homeland in
Palestine...Palestine was the land of ancient
Israel...Palestine was opposed to Jewish immigration
