Social Trends Throughout European History
Milan, Mina, Wiki, and Madeline
Demographics during European History:
●
●
●
●
Demographics of the Late Middle Ages (KC 1.5): The recovery of the population from the
Black death led to a rise in prices of good causing rapid inflation and the price revolution. All but
the wealthy suffered from the food shortage, however, they were still affected by diseases. The
population also contributed to the loss of importance placed on the values of the commune.
Families would increase in family size to take place in new practices such as the putting out
system, were larger families were a benefit.
■ Gradual recovery of Europe’s population from the Black Death( 1600-1650)
■ Followed by decline due to the price revolution, scarcity of resources, warfare and
disease
■ High Mortality Rates(Life expectancy 25 years)
Demographics of the 18th century (KC 2.4) : The demographic revolution advanced
literacy, education, and the lives of the individual. People were healthier, lived longer, and better
fed. The introduction of new crops, better weather, and improvements in technology created a
new sense of security and comfort among the Europeans. However, this rapid increase in
population was also seen in the large amount of poor who wandered the streets of Europe looking
for jobs, food, and shelter.
■ limited family sizes put a check on population levels
● birth control
● reduction in child mortality( new attitudes towards childhood)
■ Escape/survive famine cycles
● Better weather
● transportation improvements
● new crops/ agricultural practices
● Less epidemic disease
● advances in medicine and hygiene
Demographics of the Industrial Revolution (KC 3.2) : Increase in the european
population created a larger labor force and migration from the countryside to cities and towns led
to overcrowding and an increase in the number of poor beggars. There is however an increase in
the birth control and childhood becomes a more defined and important part of society. Better
sanitation, higher availability of consumer products leads to an overall improvement of life
expectancy.
■ More consumer products come from the ability to create and build all sorts of
new technology
■ Better sanitary standards after the passing of acts that cleaned up Industrial cities
that were once breeding grounds for many diseases
■ Medical care
■ Improved life expectancy because there were more opportunities that came with
new technology
Demographics of the Modern Society( KC 4.4) : The effect of the two wars, migration
within Europe, globalization impacted the lives of Europeans. There was a larger amount of
people living in cities than rural areas. The increased standard of living led to smaller families
and therefore a labor shortage, which the government tried to spur by introducing child care
policies. This led to the birth of the current baby boomers, and uncertainty of the cultural identity.
■ Collapse of birth rates enhanced financial well-being of families
■ Large-scale guest-worker programs
■ Decolonization and disruption of war, less deaths from violent conflicts
■ Population increase followed by falling birth rates and immigration of nonEuropeans
Women throughout European History:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Women in the Renaissance: During the Renaissance, women usually stayed in the domestic
sphere. For the majority of women, their status declined to the point where they were seen as
merely objects of art or ways for families to gain marriage alliances. However, there were some
exceptions:
○ Christine de Pisan - One of the few women to make money off her writings, Pisan retained
her property and was able to take care of her family after the death of her husband.
Pisan’s famous work The City of Ladies is considered one of the first modern statements
of feminism
○ Isabella d’Este - While her husband was off at war, Isabella conducted diplomacy. She
also establishes schools for girls, attracted humanists, and wrote letters about literary
equality.
○ Laura Cereta - Wrote works advocating the equality of opportunity between men and
women.
Women in the Witchcraft Persecutions(KC 1.5): The Witchcraft Persecutions from 15801680 placed great emphasis on targeting women. The Bible depicted women as weak, so it would
be easier for the Devil to take over their bodies. In addition to this, women were thought to have
special influence over their bodies. Many women were persecuted at this time, especially single,
older women.
Women in the Scientific Revolution(KC 2.3): Although there were women who
participated in the Scientific Revolution, this science was used to prove women’s inferiority, and
women were generally excluded from schools and societies. Some women who played important
roles:
○ Maria Winkelmann - Discovered a comet before her husband.
○ Maria Sibylla Merian - Merian’s Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam gives a report
on her study of insects in South America.
Women in the Enlightenment (KC 2.3): Although some Enlightenment philosophés had
opposing views regarding women (ex. Rousseau believed women belonged in the domestic
sphere), women did participate in the Enlightenment.
○ Madame de Geoffrin - Salonniére who ran a famous salon in Paris.
○ Mary Wollstonecraft - Wollstonecraft’s two famous works, Thoughts on the Education of
Daughters and A Vindication of the Rights of Women helped start the feminist
movement with their arguments that women needed to be educated to train their children
and that women and men weren’t actually different other than physical strength.
Women in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Era(KC 2.1): Women were able to
gain power during the moderate phase of the French Revolution; October Days and the women’s
march on Versailles are well known, and in addition to this women gained divorce rights,
property rights, and child custody. However, during the radical phase and with the Napoleonic
Code, women’s rights reduced again; the Society for Revolutionary Republican Women was
banned because of its contradiction against Rousseau’s ideas, and the Napoleonic Code excluded
women by limiting property rights, restricting divorce, and reinforcing sexual double standards
for adultery.
Women in the Age of Ideologies (KC 2.3): The Enlightenment principles of individual
rights and social inequality prompted many feminists, such as Mary Wollstonecraft and John
Stuart Mill, to press for gender equality. The feminist movement became focused on gaining
education, legal rights, property rights, and political rights. Some notable feminists in this age:
○ Flora Tristan - Argued the need for equal property rights, argued this inequality in
ownership of property spurred other gender inequalities.
○ Jane Austen, George Sand, and Germaine de Staël - Female writers who voiced creative
and independent opinions.
The Emergence of New Women (KC 4.4): The emergence of New Women helped women
gain many positive changes and rights. A few influential New Women include:
○ Annie Besant and Margaret Sanger ○ Josephine Butler - Got the Contagious Diseases Acts (jailed infected prostitutes) repealed.
○
●
The Pankhurst women (Emmeline, Sylvia, Christable) - Founded the Women’s Social and
Political Union (WSPU), which used militant actions to get the vote.
○ Maria Montessori - Education reformer who advocated child centered education
○ Florence Nightingale - Established the modern nursing profession.
○ Elizabeth Blackwell - First woman to earn a MD degree.
Women after the Wars(KC 4.4): After the World Wars and Cold War, women gained a lot of
power and rights in Europe. Many held leadership positions (ex. Margaret Thatcher in Britain)
and birth control and abortions were legalized. Important works and people of this militant
feminism include:
○ Simone de Beauvoir The Second Sex - Argued that women were treated as “the Other”
and were given different expectations, rather than being seen as solely a biological
difference.
○ Betty Friedan The Feminine Mystique - Rallied women to fight against submission,
oppression, and limitations.
Education throughout European History:
●
●
●
●
Education during the Renaissance: The Renaissance emerged around 1350 as a movement
focused on the revival of ancient Latin and Greek culture and literature. The revival of these
classic texts led to the revival of the Latin and Greek languages that were taught in schools. Also,
the idea of humanism that sprouted during the Renaissance led to the belief that the best type of
student was one who was well versed in many subjects.
○ Renaissance humanism supported the founding of new schools for both boys and girls
■ Schools for boys and girls were different as girls schooling focused on appearance
and household tasks while boys schooling was more focused on the mastering of
subjects
■ Schools during the Renaissance were built upon scheduled promotions similar to
modern day school grade changes
○ Invention of the printing press led to the standardization of texts and books were less
censored and protected by the church; thus making them more available for education,
even though they still cost a lot of money
Education during the Reformations (KC 2.1): The Protestant Revolution that came as a
response to Catholic Church abuses put an emphasis on the reading of the Bible because it was
the only authority in Christianity. This presented a need for literacy among the Protestant people;
thus changing educational curriculum. The Catholic response to this Protestant religion was
culminated at the council of Trent in which new religious orders were established to spread
Catholicism and also books were banned, thus demonstrating the Church's continuous power
over education.
○ Philip Melancthon: advocated for the Gymnasia, or a system of schooling basic schooling
that embodied Protestant values, especially Bible reading.
○ Banning books by authors such as Erasmus, Calvin, and Spinoza served as a symbol of the
Catholic Church’s inability to allow its practitioners to have their own independent
educational thoughts. (This banning had little impact)
Education during the Enlightenment(KC 2.3): The age of Enlightenment that occurred
during the eighteenth century surprisingly did not lead to a change in the accessibility of
education to lower classes which only supplemented the social hierarchy in Europe. Also,
university and upper level education was outdated during the Enlightenment. This irrelevant and
displeasing educational curriculum led to some reforms in the subjects to better fit the mold of
society.
○ Some schools in Germany began to teach its young men the ins and out of the business
world in order to prepare them for beneficial careers in the economy.
○ Interest spawning from the Scientific revolution became more evident in schools as
classes addressing the new scientific ideals became available.
Education in Wartime/Modern Europe (KC 4.4): As society became more radical and
countries such as Germany and Italy became fascists states; education became yet another pawn
●
in the game of chess that the Dictators were playing. The youth of these European nations were so
important to the country and its future success, so the education that was chosen for the students
reflected that.
○ For example, in Fascist Italy, students’ learning were devoted to the Roman Empire,
fascism, and Mussolini himself (they learned as if he were God)
○ New Montessori schools pioneered a new child-centered elementary curriculum
Education in Postwar Europe (KC 4.4): In postwar Europe, the world continued to develop
into the contemporary society it is today while education struggled to keep up. This was especially
evident in Universities all across Europe, but most importantly in France with its 1968 student
revolts. As Europe continued to progress, students became more interested in finding a
connection between the everyday happenings and the stale curriculum that they were being
taught.
○ Students wanted to learn more relevant topics such as sociology in order to connect
school learning to the outside world
○ Professors were stubborn and stuck in their old ways of teaching and learning, not willing
to accommodate to the ways the world around them had changed.
○ Education was beginning to be shaped by the students themselves as they pushed for a
change to a more relevant curriculum
Family Life throughout European History:
●
●
●
●
Family life during the Renaissance: Family life during the Renaissance consisted of
relationships that were economic and artificial, as everyone married for money and treated their
daughters as business tools to gain prestige, also, it was very difficult to get out of these marraiges
as divorces were nonexistent. Women were married in their mid to late teens and men in their
mid-twenties which increased the patriarchal feeling in families as men were dominant to women.
Children in families were treated as mini adults, with little distinction between their childhood
and teenage years and eventually adulthood.
○ Men quickly remarried after being widowed, leading to the blending of multiple families
into one household, including grandparents
○ A lot of single females who turned to prostitution and rape in urban areas due to the age
gap in marriage
Family life during the Protestant Reformation (KC 2.1): The Protestant Reformation was
influenced by the families that lived at that time. In many cases, women brought the ideas of the
Reformation into their homes and to their husbands. Divorce remained rare, and though some
rights were won by women, in most situations the husbands were still favored. Also, infanticide
increased while the number of illegitimate births decreased among families due to the stress of
having so many children and not enough to go around.
○ Anabaptists advocated for people being baptized when they were mature enough to
realize and accept the Christian faith; not the social norm, most were treated as outcasts
and persecuted by Protestants and Catholics alike
Family life during the Enlightenment(KC 2.3): The Enlightenment was a time in which the
outlook towards children was changed due to the pioneering ideas of philosophers like John
Locke who believed children should be able to experience childhood experiences with things such
as books, toys, and educational games to help them develop at their own rates. Due to this,
children were no longer seen as miniature adults like they once were and thus received less
physical punishment from their parents.
○ Many people marry later due to economic reasons and desire for independence, and when
they do marry they have companionate marriages (marriages based on love)
○ Increase in unmarried women
Family life during the Industrial Revolution (KC 3.2): The Industrial Revolution added
more focus to families earning income. Family units were seen as means of production, and
women joined the workplace alongside men. In addition to this, childhood was deemed more
important; Freud’s ideas created an emphasis on teaching children differently within different
phases of development. Illegitimate births were declined with the use of birth control, which led
●
to fewer children per family. The rise of Romanticism and the sexual revolution of the 60’s also
gave rise to companionship and free love as parts of marriage.
Family life in Modern Europe (KC 4.4): As the history of Europe approaches modern day,
the trends that are relevant today become more apparent. First, women began to work outside of
the home on new feminized or “white collar” jobs which allowed them to continue to contribute to
the family economically while not being pushed out of her cmfort zone with large machinery. New
schools for children began to recognize their ability to chose their own paths from a very young
age, and this once again was represented by continued freedom at home, as children no longer
worked in factories or were viewed as an economic unit for the family.
○ Examples of these feminized jobs: secretary, nurse, clerks, telephone operators, and more