Class+System+Research+A

=Period 6 Class System Research=  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Class_Thompson_Hickey_copy.jpg  What is Class? Sociologists define social class as the grouping of people by occupations. Doctors and lawyers and university teachers are given more status than unskilled labourers. The different positions represent different levels of power, influence and money. The British society is often considered to be divided into three main groups of classes: This is known as the Class system The Different Class Systems There are three main class divisions. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/class.htm
 * Social class refers to the [|hierarchical] distinctions (or [|stratification]) between individuals or groups in [|societies] or [|cultures].
 * The [|social structure] of Britain** has clearly changed with the centuries and it is difficult to adequately discuss the topic in a single article. However, there are specific class names, castes, and categories that are helpful to define.
 * The [|social structure] of Britain** has clearly changed with the centuries and it is difficult to adequately discuss the topic in a single article. However, there are specific class names, castes, and categories that are helpful to define.
 * the Upper Class,
 * the Middle Class, and the
 * Lower or Working Classs
 * The Upper Classes** tends to consist of people with inherited wealth, and includes some of the oldest families, with many of them being titled aristocrats. The upper classes are not only defined by their title, but also by their education, and their pastimes which includes the traditional sporting life involving hunting, shooting and fishing, as well as a great deal of horse riding for both leisure and as a competitive pursuit.
 * The Middle Classes** are the majority of the population of Britain today. They include industrialists, professionals, businesspeople and shop owners.
 * Working class** people are mostly agricultural, mine and factory workers.

http://teacherlink.org/content/social/instructional/industrialrevolution/childmillworker.jpg Demographic Changes in England The population grew from 11 to 37 million in England during the nineteenth century. Factories created jobs which lured workers from rural communities and immigrants from Scotland and Ireland. By 1901, nearly three-quarters of the population called the city their home.

Change in the Class System

The rigid class system of the past essentially fell asunder with industrialization. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, England was an agrarian society. The aristocracy, also known as the gentry, owned all the land. Although a small group, the gentry wielded the power and wealth. Anyone outside the upper class could not advance into it. Tenant farmers could rent the land with the majority of men and women working as laborers and servants. The growth of factories meant an increase in job opportunities as well as wages. The workers left their rural life to become urban workers.

The Middle Class

Industry, job opportunities, increased wages, and vision opened the way for a new class of citizenry by the 1850s - the middle class. This group consisted of factory owners, bankers, shopkeepers, merchants, lawyers, engineers, and other professionals. The new class was gaining power through economic and social means, not because of inherited titles or lands as the aristocracy. They soon knocked on the door of the upper class, demanding entry into the realm of the previously privileged. These men and women felt that wealth and social position were theirs for the taking through discipline and hard competition. Nineteenth century political and social reformer Samuel Smiles stated, "Individual effort, backed by austerity of life, would propel any man, no matter what his origins, to success in this world."

The Proud & Materialistic Middle Class

The nouveau riche* paraded their wealth through the possessions they acquired. Beautiful homes were meticulously decorated externally and from within. Decorative bric-a-brac, furnishings and wall treatments conveyed in nonverbal messages their position in society. The middle class was also sensitive to fashion, displaying their good fortune by the clothes they wore. The newly rich endeavored to parade their success by taking carriage rides through Hyde Park and walks along the fashionable streets of London. They enjoyed other activities including attending sporting events, picnics and drawing-room dinners.
 * new rich

Morality & The Middle Class

To make the gowns worn by society women, the seamstresses worked long hours. Seamstresses labored from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. during the winter. In the summer, the day began at 6:00 a.m. and went until 12:00 a.m. During the fashionable season (April through July), the hours were horrendous. For special events such as weddings, mourning and court drawing rooms, the seamstress may work through the night. The oppressive working hours continued well into the 1860s. || The Victorians set high standards for morality and respectability. The Victorians viewed drunkenness with a disapproving eye in the nineteenth century. Strict standards were enforced in the sexual morality arena. Sexual experiences, particularly for women, were confined to the marriage bed. Any breath of sexual scandal would destroy a woman’s reputation. Numerous women’s organizations fought against prostitution. Sadly, prostitution was a supplemental form of income for many working-class girls. The roles of men and women were clearly defined. Men worked outside the home while women raised and reared the children. The man was strong and intellectual while the woman was emotional, passive and fragile. The role of the man was as protector to his wife and children. http://www.romanceeverafter.com/19th_century_class_system.htm
 * **Seamstresses Worked Hard!**

The British as a nation are very concerned about which class they belong to. There are several classes which can be defined as follows:

Upper Class = Somebody who is so rich they don't need to work. Working Class = Anybody who works. Middle Class = Somebody who wishes they were upper class but who are in fact working class.

The middle class are the worst type of class because they are the only ones who actually care what the other classes think of them. The Upper class are so rich they don't give a monkey's what the common 'oiks' think. The Working class who class themselves as such don't let their lives be spoilt by trying to aspire to something which is plainly out of reach. Essentially remember if you work you are Working class and there's nothing that can change that, unless you win the lottery or get adopted by the Queen. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A249293

http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/stories/the_second_industrial_revolution/05.ST.01/img/IM.1049_zl.jpg http://www.foolsparadise.co.uk/fools07pix/pix2007/reckless-aristocratD.jpg http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=45&size=550x550_mb&ptp_photo_id=104112

http://www.costumes.org/MWBH/images/aristocrats.gif