(A) What are the most important developments and evidence that would support an argument that the period since about 1750 has seen the rise of a new and different “modern” way of living that is fundamentally different from the way people lived in the premodern world?
There have been a variety of important developments that have taken place since 1750. These developments have fundamentally altered the way that people live in the modern world compared to those that lived in premodernity. Today, people live and work in very different contexts and socialize much more broadly than they did in the past. The political, economic, and technological changes that occurred during this period coincided with various forms of revolutionary action and thought. Not only were there major advances in the areas of transportation and industry, but there were also a variety of social and cultural changes as well. These developments were rooted in the growing belief in independence and science as necessary elements for humanity. Over the next two centuries, the global population would almost double due to increases in productivity and the availability of necessary resources such as food and water. The increasingly effective capacity of people to harness the power of energy also served as an important transformative factor during this time. Coal and steam rose as dominant forms of industrial growth which helped to propel the creation of railroads and telegraph systems, which helped to connect people to one another so that they could quickly and efficiently exchange ideas and information across vast distances for the first time in human history.
The underlying political and social changes that occurred during this period served to radically alter the way that people lived by changing the way that they related with their governments and one another. The notion of liberal democracy began to become important and the ensurance of freedom and basic human rights was institutionalized so that individual people were given a much greater status. Ideas such as private property rights and economic freedom became necessary elements that propelled further innovation and development. The decoupling of labor and servitude allowed for the creation of value and radically different perceptions of human rights and relationships. “Like the automobile and radio, the movies, by breaking up leisure time into an individual, family, or group affair, represent a counter movement” (Lynd and Lynd 2). Values focused on free markets and representative government served as a grounds for the promotion of education and learning for people from all walks of life. The development of such fundamental ideas related to the rule of law would also translate into the industrial sector, as the newfound freedom resulted in large scale migrations across vast distances made possible by railroads and the steam engine. During this period, people demanded the separation of church and state and the enforcement of democratic and constitutional forms of government. The dramatic expansion of economic activity reached around the world and global trade became a dominant form of commerce that would affect people of all walks of life. This was primarily the result of revolutionary thinking that was directed towards the liberation of human thinking and values during this period.
Beginning with the French Revolution the idea that people should be free to make their own decisions and be represented by their governments overshadowed the right of kings, which had been the primary mode of political activity throughout most of human history. These changes marked a dramatic shift in the way that people associated with the political orders that they lived within. These changes were a dramatic shift from the pre modern way of life, in which people would often work to live and would have little time for leisure or self-improvement (Dicther 60). These developments represent positive change, however, it is also evident that there were a variety of negative impacts that resulted from this period as well.
(B) What are the most important developments and evidence that would support an argument against that conclusion? Many would argue that, while there have been a variety of changes during this period, people still live largely the same as they did in the past. While it is generally believed that, during the enlightenment, humanity through off the bonds of servitude and freed themselves from being simply servants to those that had more. However, evidence suggests that this might not necessarily be the case. While the underlying systems and institutions might have changed, people are still largely subservient to the same things that they were during the premodern era (Simon 8). One of the major examples of this is the existence of imperialism during this period. Despite the revolutionary modes of thought and the overthrow of various monarchies throughout Europe, the values of power and dominance were still evidence in the colonies that countries such as Great Britain and France established throughout the world. The value of such endeavors was largely rooted in an increasingly devotional attitude towards nationalism and capitalism that incited countries to war and dominate so that they could overcome their rivals. The implications of this are that people did not live fundamentally differently but rather directed their authority outwards instead of inwards through international competition (The persuaders 4). This is not very different than the way that things had been in the past, except the dominance of one nation was directed at that of another.
Slavery is another example of this. While there were a variety of revolutions that presented the argument that all humans were equal, the domination and exploitation of other humans still continued, largely perpetrated by those nations that spoke against these ideas. The representation of fealty seems to be a similar aspect of the premodern world and the direction of requirement seems to indicate that these individuals were taken advantage of. The rise of capitalism was, in this sense, simply the establishment of a system that would result in the domination of different classes and ethnicities. “One of the most interesting and important aspects of efficiency is that it often comes to be not a means but an ends in itself” (Ritzer, 1983 373). The implications of this demonstrate the modes of thought that exist in the undercurrent of society today, which is still embellished with the view of dominance and manipulation. Racism that exists in the modern world seems to reflect the views of premodernity demonstrating that there were a variety of instances in which people did not benefit from the revolutions that occurred in Europe. Instead, capitalism resulted in a profoundly inhuman form of thought in which people were taken from their homes and forced to work for the benefit of others. They were treated simply as products in the realm of capitalism which was similar to the servitude that existed before this period (King 63). This seems to indicate that the argument of modernity is untrue. Rather than changing life in any fundamental way, modernity simply covered up the atrocities that people are capable of, making the issue invisible.
Inequality demonstrates an important issue that makes it difficult to believe that modernity is fundamentally different than the world of the past. The technological developments and social changes belie the underlying problems that still exist in society. Women have only recently become equal citizens and the exploitation of minorities has occurred throughout this period (Frieden 19). Rather than being a period of fundamental growth and change, this period is rife with the exploitation of labor and the compromise of justice in pursuit of capital gain. These developments present an underlying context of fear and inefficiency which is not any better than the past in any sense (Stanton 48). Economic advantages gained at the expense of others and a profoundly unequal distribution of wealth that exist in the modern world present a deep similarity to the premodern world. The relationship between people has not changed, it has only been overshadowed by capital and technological growth.
Works Cited
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King, Martin Luther. Letter From Birmingham Jail. Kwheeler. 1963. Print.
Ritzer, George. The 'McDonaldization' of Society. Journal of American Culture 6, no. 1 (Spring 1983):
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Simon, Bryant. Consuming Lattes and Labor, or Working at Starbucks. International Labor and
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Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. The Declaration of Sentiments (aka the "Seneca Falls Declaration"). Woman's
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