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The age of optimism, 1850-1880 - social impacts of economic growth

5 important questions on The age of optimism, 1850-1880 - social impacts of economic growth

Why did the middle class grow?

there was an increasing need for civil servants, bookkeepers, shopkeepers, bankers, etc. and a smaller need for laborers as efficiency increased in factories

What improvements in lifestyle were there for the middle class?

running water, better furniture, bigger homes, varied diet and being well read. also, most middle class people had at least 1 servant

What new industry sprouted from the growing wealth?

tourism became big business as the wealthy sought refuge outside of cities and resort towns were created all over europe

How were the aristocrats distinguishable from wealthy families?

barely. most noble families weren't rich at all and lived much like their nonnoble neighbours. they even married themselves into wealthy families to get out of financial trouble. they got involved in industry and became more and more active.

What set them apart from nonnoble wealthy people?

nobles still held a lot of high stations, like officer or political stations despite being a tiny minority

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

Western civilization : beyond boundaries | 9780495897903 | Thomas F X Noble, et al

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