Industrial Revolution Documents

After reviewing the Industrial Revolution primary source documents, I have a clearer perspective and visual impression of the events during that specific era. This type of exercise portray0ed both the positive and negative aspects of society. New innovations were being discovered, more jobs were being created, and there were more opportunities and ways to make a living for the citizens away or at their homes. For others, government was removing value from their lives. This was especially true for the citizens who were considered to be lower class, who were expected to work excessive hours, whether they were adults or children, in unsafe conditions, and were only paid a very miniscule amount of income. Industrialization was under way and the economy was starting to flourish with new technological advancements. What this type of exercise can teach us about history is that it has both positive aspects as well as flaws. By studying and learning about both, we can learn from the mistakes that were made to ensure that we avoid repeating them in the future. We also benefit from the advancements that were made and can learn from those positive innovations. The study of history is so broad and far-reaching, creating many different perspectives. Learning about these helps us look at ‘the total picture’ and observe everything that occurred, good and bad. Without the people who lived and experienced life before us, we wouldn’t have a frame of reference to learn from and therefore the ability to improve different aspects of life that we are privileged to have in our society today.
From participating in this exercise, I observe history differently. After analyzing the industrial revolution through written documents, as well as through pictures, they illustrate how far our society has progressed since this era. We are fortunate to have all of this history documented so that we can use the knowledge acquired as a foundation to create even more successful innovations and generate even more creative and potentially innovative ideas. Pictures definitely speak a thousand words and I found the documented images more powerful than just reading the different types of documents. ‘High Society’ and leaders of government should have been held accountable for the abuses of lower class citizens. While huge families were having to sacrifice their rest, time, children, and their health everyday, wealthy government officials and their businessmen were living extravagant lives outside of the city away in private mansions living the good life, while letting their fellow citizens suffer. By looking at the whole picture, we can reflect on the past and how issues should have been handled. By brainstorming for new outcomes and ways to manage society, we can make certain that no one in our present day and future society has to endure the harsh, hazardous, and despicable working conditions of the European citizens in the nineteenth century.

A few questions that I have that were left unanswered are:
• Did the government ever formally establish any permanent child labor and safety laws that would have helped protect the young children that were working for the long hours in the treacherous working conditions?
• Why wasn’t there any enforcement of the government inspectors checking these working conditions and making sure that the people’s safety was being insured for the betterment of the working class?

It is very upsetting to see people who lived in those conditions. It’s unjustifiable and should have never been allowed. It’s one thing to start out on a new journey when one must expect to deal with the dips and unexpected twists and turns that will be endured along the way and to conform to the given situation. However, it’s another thing to take advantage of someone who’s considered “below yourself” and make him or her suffer and sacrifice for you unnecessarily.

Napoleon's Legacy

Napoleon Bonaparte’s most important legacy was his establishment of the Napoleonic Code. In 1800 Napoleon assigned four renowned jurists the task of consolidating all of the French civil law into one set of laws. Napoleon knew that the existing laws were confusing, inconsistent, and chaotic to the French people, as they were dependent on local customs and granted special favors and privileges to selected citizens. The Civil Code, which was enacted in 1804, was a sole code that replaced hundreds of localized codes that existed under the monarchy. Renamed the Napoleonic Code in 1807, the Code was based on some earlier French laws, Roman law, and Germanic law that had been used in northern France. The Napoleonic Code confirmed most of the revolutionary objectives, by recognizing the equality of all civilians before the French law and the removal of privileges based on birth. Individual citizens were able to select their own job professions and employment in the service of the state was based on capability rather than social position or affluence. The Code confirmed the right to property acquired during the Revolution and terminated the manorial obligations of the peasants, eliminating feudalism and serfdom. Freedom of religion was also restored. Prohibiting strikes and various trade unions protected the interests of employers. While the “Civil Code” clearly reflected the revolutionary objectives for a consistent legalized system, it reversed the advances made by women during the Revolution as it reaffirmed the paternalistic character of French society. Women and children were legally reliant on their husbands and fathers.
Napoleon was able to extend use of the code to the lands outside France that he controlled, including northern Italy, a portion of the German states, and the low countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The code was successfully implemented in other regions such as Spain, Latin America, and in all of the other European nations, with the exception of England, where the Common Law was adopted. Indeed the Napoleonic Code was a model for successive laws during the nineteenth century in twenty-four countries. The state of Louisiana and the province of Quebec have derived many of their laws from the Napoleonic Code. This code provides the structure for the legal system in France today, which portrays how influential and resilient it has been for French society as well as many others. The ideals of the French revolution have endured long after Napoleon’s demise as a result of this body of law.