Ap Euro Dbq Analysis

Words: 780
Pages: 4

During the 19th century, production in Europe shifted from individual handmade goods to mass produced materials and goods. This shifted resulted in the creation of a plethora of labor intensive jobs. Furthermore, as more factories were built, poorer individuals moved to cities only to be greeted by filth, low paying jobs, and a lack of representation in government. These harsh and undesirable conditions presented a question of possible solutions to the people of Europe. Proposed solutions to the issue of poor peasant representation and conditions included the push for peasants to come together to fight for their rights and the push for legislation to protect workers and legally secure their rights. However, some believed that peasants should cope with the conditions and let them improve over time in furtherance of keeping overall …show more content…
For example, Flora Tristan wrote a plea to peasants asking them to form a union. The excerpt from her writing also states that although the richer business owners were more powerful in traditional circumstances the peasants greatly outnumbered them. She encouraged the working class to use their numbers to their advantage and force change. Moreover, Tristan was a French activist; therefore, she likely witness the poor conditions for peasants and reacted as a result of her own outrage and experience. Additionally, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels also stressed to the peasants that revolution and forced change was the only solution to the poor treatment of peasants. These two men were both political figures which allowed them to react to the troubling treatment of peasants and attempt to enact change. Political figures during the 19th century used their positions to encourage European peasants to revolt and unify themselves to fight for rights and improved