Marx/Smith

After reading the 2 different sections, I thought that Karl Marx took a negative view from the perspective of a worker and knew a lot more about the struggles whereas Adam Smith knew a lot about the system but saw it as very effective. If I had to decide who I thought had better insight into this issue I would Choose Marx. Marx talked about how the worked was selling his labor for very little, allowing the capitalist to make a lot more money by selling the products the laborers make for as high as possible. Marx had a better idea of what was actually going on with this system, whereas Smith only saw the profit that was being made and the creation of new inventions and new technology. He said everyone working in their own self-interest was good for the country and that everyone this way could live a good life. However, this is not the case for those who were laborers working long hours and making next to nothing, unable to support their families and themselves. On the other hand, Marx continues to see all the flaws in the system, especially with machines and how they cut labor and slowly humans become "slaves" to them and capitalists can lower wages further and further. This is why I thought Marx overall had a better understanding of this system of work.

Japanese Shogun

Im going to go into detail about the shogun because they seemed interesting. The shogun or the shogunate was referred to a military leader of the Japanese armed forces. At one point in time, they had more power than the emperor and had control of the Samurai.  The Shogun rules as a dictator that rules all of Japan.Today, retired shogun that still have power and give advice to others is called a "Shadow shogun. A shadow shogun in Japanese is called yami shogun. Some shadow shogun are former prime minister Kakuei Tanaka and politician Ichiro Ozawa.

Feedback on Cy's Marx Smith handout

Cy, I strongly agree with your point about how the rich people used the poor people because there wages were so small that they could not provide for themselves or their families. The people had to suffer through the beginning of the Industrial Revelation. I know if i owned a factory or business i would at least try to up the wages so that my workers we able to survive. It would benefit my business because the customers would be more loyal. However i strongly disagree with you on your point about how the Industrial revolution was a horrible part in the american history because, it really did benefit everyone is one way or another. Even though the factory owners and wealthy people were benefited first eventually the poor people were benefited and their wages increased drastically. I believe that the Industrial Revolution was an excellent time and help with the inventions in a huge way because without these inventions todays world would not be the same.

Outcomes of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution brought a lot of wealth to mainly Great Britain, and Germany, but it brought it to few people in the higher classes, and to the majority of the population it brought nothing. The section of people that did benefit from the industrial revolution were the Aristocrats, and the middle class people. These of course were only 30 percent of these nations people. The rest, 70 percent of the people, were laborers. They were the screwed ones. These people had really bad working conditions, and really low salaries. They had a lot of illnesses because there living conditions were not sanitary, so they were living a really tough life. Because of this, I feel as if the industrial revolution was really unsuccessful. 

I think that Smith sort of helped create this machine that Marx hated, so I don't think that he helped the people that much. He did help the overall economy, but the majority of the people were still miserable. I thought that Marx's ideas were really good. It is crazy how a person in those times could stop looking at the great and new technologies, and take the time to instead look at how the people were being treated. His huge idea about how everyone should be equal in politics must have been outrageous in those times, but it is one that is really good. 

Extra Credit Post

Today’s game that we played gave me a much better understanding of what life would be like in Europe in the 1800s. Luckily I was a single woman going into the Industrial Revolution because providing for just one person is hard enough. In order to eat decent food, have suitable clothing and a roof over one’s head, one must work all day ever day. In order for all of these things to be made possible for more than one person, then it is necessary for everyone in the family to work as well, including the children. I saw some families where children died due to the horrific working conditions, which as tragic as it was, in some ways benefitted the families due to now there was one less mouth to feed. I felt that the factory managers should have been a bit more lenient and conscientious of the wages they were paying their workers. Yes, I realize that they had to make livings for themselves and their families at home as well, however when it is at the point where families are going hungry or living on the streets then I feel as though something must be changed.

When it came time for the second round to commence, I felt as though I had a better idea of how to be successful. Although eating less may be harmful to my body, eating only potatoes saved me an amble amount of money. Also, as awful as it may sound, it was quite beneficial to me that Layla passed away early on for I would not be able to provide for the two of us. She would have been too little to work in a factory and I would have been unable to bring her with me to work. All in all, I feel as though it would have been extremely difficult living in the times that we are studying, and it is highly doubtful that I would be capable of living a successful life back then. Playing this game allowed me to grasp a deeper understanding of what life for people of that era was like, allowing me to gain more interest in the topic as we continue to study it.

Welcome to Manchester

Hello, my name is Lola Johanson and I have just moved to Manchester. I am 20 years old and I have left my extremely wealthy family in France to come here and start a new life. I had one child, a baby girl, who sadly did not make it here alive. My husband disappeared immediately after Layla was born. I am here on my own, ready to make a living for myself. Word in France was that Britain is home of all of the latest and greatest inventions, and they have a textile industry with 52 million pounds of cotton. With railroads criss-crossing and factories steaming, Manchester is just the place I have been looking for.

Living in the countryside of France was dreadful. The estate where I usually stayed in was big enough to house the French army and a few more, and everywhere I looked there was some maid just waiting for me to ask them for something. I never saw any of my multiple mothers and my father was always off taking care of some business related need. My 16 siblings were always at parties or gambling or out spending our father’s money in the most absurd ways imaginable. I needed to get out of there before I turned into one of them, which I promised myself I would not let happen.

Richard, my first love and once husband, was always in full support of my plans I had for the future. We were going to have a family, get married, and start a school system in the local town near my estate. However, once I got pregnant with Layla, everything seemed to go downhill. Arguments were the only conversations we had, and I began seeing less and less of him. Then Layla was born, on October 7^th, and Richard was gone. No one ever saw him again. After that tragedy I knew I had to get out of that town, away from everything that reminded me of him and our future plans we had together. I took what I could fit into a knapsack and headed south with Layla. However due to the fact that she was was born premature, she did not make it even a week. Having lost both my husband and a child, I continued on my voyage to Manchester. Upon my arrival, I can only hope to turn my life around.

Industrial Revolution

When reading about the Industrial Revolution, it was clear to see that it was a time of complete transformation. Change for the positive, that is, with new inventions being released constantly. The coal-fired steam engine, the spinning jenny, the power loom, and the cotton gin were just some of the many beneficial tools that added to the “culture of innovation.” (Page 528 Ways of the World)
However, the positive aspects of the Industrial Revolution were all that were stated in this section. It got me thinking if along with all of the beneficial effects this time had on society in the late 1700’s, if there was a downside as well. After some further research, I found that there were some negatives as well. According to Wikipedia along with various other websites such as Yahoo Answers, the main downsides of the Industrial Revolution were enclosure, pollution, child labor, and insanitary working quarters.
Enclosure took place where those of the wealthier class took money/land from those of a lower class, forming one larger and better lot, leaving the farmers jobless. The machines and factories caused pollution, which dirtied the once clean air. The factories needed more workers than just adults, and in turn hired children to work their machines. Due to the fact that they were hiring children, they were able to get away with paying them below minimum wage as well as having them work in extremely close and unsuitable environments.
As one can see, the Industrial Revolution brought both positives and negatives to society in the 1750s-1800s. The positives, however, strongly outweigh the negatives. All of the beneficial things the new inventions brought truly improved the way Europe matured as a whole, opening up countless doors to even more future opportunities. The negatives were in fact harmful in some ways, and it is understandable as to why some saw the Industrial Revolution as damaging to those who lived through it. Yet as a whole, I feel as though for the most part all that came with the Industrial Revolution was beneficial and “this continuous emergence of new techniques of production and the economic growth that they made possible mark the past 250 years as a distinct phase of human history.” (Page 528 Ways of the World)

Asian and Latin American Industries

After reading the section titled " Explaining the Industrial Revolution", I came across a brief statement that said, " the Industrial Revolution became global when a number of Asian and Latin American countries developed substantial industrial sectors." It then gave a long list of some of these sectors such as Oil, and natural gas, but I wanted to more about how they started for these to sections of the world. 

Asia(Asian tigers)

The Asian tigers is a term that refers to the highly developed regions of asia, which are Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. The main reason why there was a huge increase in the asian Industries, was because of the motivated people, and the stable governments in asia. The governments was stable, and so many nations around the world sought asia as a place to invest in. Not only did foreign countries like the stable governments, but they also liked the good labor of the people. The workers in asia were both motivated and skilled, so they made asian countries such as South Korea  a great place to invest in. In 1960 was when the real industrialization happened for South Korea. This was when they switched from the less advanced manufacturing, to the more advanced manufacturing of steel. Shipbuilding and the automobile industries were now of interest, and for the next 30 years after 1960 South Korea grew to be considered a "Developed Country". The main automobile industry  is Hyundai-Kia which is the 4th largest automobile automaker.

Latin America(Argentina)

Argentina also has grown  a lot economically because of manufacturing. The only difference is that South Korea grew in the Automobile industry, while Argentina grew in the Agricultural industries. Argentina is now huge in the food processing industry, because of their own natural resources of crops such as soy and maize. 

Marx + Smith Handout

I think that the outcomes of the Industrial Revolution, at first, only helped improve the lives of the wealthy. The rich people took advantage of the poor, and left them to live on unlivable wages. The rich were the only people who could afford luxuries, and other inventions that came out of the revolution.

However, over time, inventions and other luxuries began to decrease in price. Workers gained more rights, as they formed unions and America moved towards social equality for all.
I agree with Marx that people were unequal during this era, however, I also agree with Smith that capitalism can be successful, as long as we keep those with capital in check.

The Industrial Revolution was a horrible part of America's history: it was full of oppression, discrimination, manipulation, and greed. However, it did give birth to economic success, revolutionary inventions, and global development in the long run.

Karl Marx

I thought the view of Karl Marx on the Industrial Revolution was refreshing. Instead of just viewing it as a time of technological advancement and urbanization, he saw it from the point of view of the workers. He felt that they were being treated unfairly and were being exploited. He recognized that there were two classes: the workers selling their labor, and the capitalists who were buying it. He saw that since workers were making the product that the factory workers were selling, the factory workers were paying the workers as little money as possible in order to make the largest profit. they were getting rich and sitting back, while the workers were spending long grueling days in the factory and being paid next to nothing for it. Marx said that the machine spread the working ability of the family, since it took away the value of strength. Workers just needed to be able to repeat the same motions all day, and the machines did the rest. this made it so that the man was paid less, and therefore the rest of the family was forced into working in order to earn enough money to support the family. even children were forced to work since strength and intelligence were not needed. He felt that the use of machines and lower wages to workers made the factory owners boatload of money, while the rest of society suffered. He believed it was time for the working class to revolt and rule society, Making everyone equal. It was socialism

Paul Frank and my wife Anne

My name is Paul and me and my wife, Anne, just moved into Manchester. We just moved from Japan because of the great rice fields in Manchester so we thought we could hit it big there. We definitely arent poor, but we arent rich either. We moved to Manchester because life in Japan was a little tougher than it is here. We lived in the mountains and fed off of the local indigenous creatures. We were also samurais. My wife Anne Frank is a skilled blade smith that specializes in assassination samurai swords.

Industrial Rev Activity

I personally thought that the activity was not well done and poorly organized. The main problem I had with the activity was that someone could go to the beach for one star of luxury for only a dollar but they could go the opera for 30 dollars and only get 3 luxury stars. This messed up the whole activity by the end because everyone ended up with like 20 luxury stars because they spent all their money on walks to the beach. Also another problem was that the citizens had no idea how much money their wages should be and so the owners could charge us for really low wages and they would profit a lot of money and we would have no money for use to spend. I guess that send us the right message about the corrupt owners but I still had a problem with the pricings so if this was changed then the activity would be beneficial and helpful.

Adam Smith

Adam Smith was a philosopher that wrote the wealth of the nations. He contained many beliefs that I'm going to investigate in this blog. One of the things that I want to talk about is the idea that people should be divided into 3 classes. These classes were those who have land, those who have money, and those who have labor. I don't think this was a proper way for society to be divided in two because of the fact that some people could be in all 3 of these classes. This would create tension and inequality between the citizens of this government. For example, a wealthy farmer that owned his own land and worked his own land.

The difference between communism, socialism, and capitalism

Although having socialist countries are widley assumed to be communist this is not always the case. Russia, despite having a long history of being communist, now has a president yet is still considered socialist. What socialist according to dictionary.com means is "system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole." HOwever is later associates socialism as the stage after a capitalist economy and before having communism. Communism and socialism are quite simmilar, they both believe in a sharing of recourses. Communism has the government be totalitarian and therefore can be no rebellion. Many in Enlgand during the time of the industrial revolution were pulling for a socialist economy so that there was not such a huge gap between the rich and the poor. In a communist country the government would take the factory and assign its people to work there. Treating them all as equal and having not one person be higher than another. The only way a communist country can work well is if the government is almost perfect. It cannot have people in it that are greedy otherwise then it will turn into the people of a country dying and having a very few government officials that are well off. The problem usually with communism (such as in north korea/dprk) is that the government is too corrupt and since it has all the power destorys itself. Socialism is not so specific in how the government will act. Although the government might still own the factory, there could be promotions as to who is charge among the factory owners. SOcialism is a more reasonable form of communism. Captialism is every man for himself. You have to work very hard in a capitalist society and if you are stuck at the bottom your whole life will be awful. That is what happened during the industrial revolution.

Industrial Revolution: Positive/Negative?

I think that the Industrial Revolution helped the higher more wealthy classes and people but it didn't help the poorer lower classes. I think that the higher classes noticed that the lower classes were poor and in need of money. When they realized this they hired more people from the families to work on the machines and then they paid each individual a smaller wage. That way the factory workers could produce maybe 3 times more than they were and then they would only have to pay a little more than before. Then the poorer people felt that they were making more because the prices in potatoes and other goods were lowered because of all the work that was being supplied. There were so many workers working to make money that many of the products doubled and tripled in production. Therefore the poorer people were able to afford a little more than they could before. This did help lower class a little because of the price drop but in relation to the wealthy people, the high class people were coming out way wealthier than the poor lower class. From the documents, the lower class was gaining some things like education, but it started slow so it wasn't real effective in the beginning compared to education now and where it can take you. But it was a step in the right direction. There were many points in these documents that mentioned the beatings and injuries inflicted on the laborers. This is obviously not very positive for the working class.

I think that Smith was right about how the "masters" or industrialists or factory owners were using the laborers because the laborers need to work to get money to survive, and the factory owners could have actually lived without workers, but the factory owners preferred workers so that they could produce more inventory and therefore make more money. I think that Marx was right about the point that the laborers should ideally make a time limit and set boundaries for when they work because otherwise they would be selling themselves and their freedom to the factory owners, and then essentially become slaves. The problem is that the laborers need the money to live and support their family and so they aren't always given the option of choosing how long they are to be employed. So I think that Marx had a good point and it makes sense but it wasn't exactly realistic for all of the laborers.

Extra Credit Game Reflection

The game was a very good was to experience what the lower classes were going through during the industrial revolution. At first i was barely scraping by. I had a family of three, and all of us had to work long, hard hours in order to earn the minimum wage paid by the factory owners. I could only afford the cheapest food, and a small room with no extra money for any form of luxury. I survived the first round without going into debt, and having 5.5 points left over. I was able to accumulate more money than my neighbors because i only had to feed 2 adults and one kid, who didn't eat as much. I was also able to work out a deal with a factory worked to pay me 6 points a round instead of four, and i forced my wife and kid to work, so i had three streams of income, so we all made enough money to feed ourselves. The second round was much better. the prices of everything were lowered a good amount, so i managed to save up 20 points by the end of the round which i was able to spend on luxuries, like meat, and walks on the beach. The game really demonstrated the unfair situation the factory owners were in. They were paying us bare minimum, and working us all day on grueling and tedious tasks. They were making thousands of times more than we all were. They all came off with more than 1000 points after round two, and we barely were making 20. I would have supported Marx because he was supported unions and fairer treatment of the working class. He also felt that workers deserved more power in society.

Game Reflection

From the beginning my family did not do very well. By drawing a 4 and starting off with less money that pretty much every one else, I was already struggling. In the first round, I made $5 more and my wife made $4. I had four kids that could have worked, too, but the boss of the textile factory refused to hire them for any pay whatsoever. I'm not sure why the industrialists were reluctant to hire more people because it seems like they would just make more money. So after the first round, where I didn't but anything except for potatoes and clothes for my family, I was $4 in debt. Even if the debt went away, I wouldn't have a place to live or the slightest thought of a luxury item. 

In the second round, the industrialists were slightly more willing to hire workers, and all of my family members got jobs. The pay slightly increased for my wife and I, and, surprisingly, our four kids received the same wages as my wife and I. So when the round was over I had the opportunity to buy a room and go to the beach a couple times. I was also able to ay off our debt from the previous round. Even though our family was started to be able to live a normal life, it was still annoying how much money the industrialists hoarded. While 6 people in my family brought home around $30 for their hard work, the industrialists were bringing home hundreds and hundreds of dollars for just sitting and watching everyone else do their work. It seems like the average person in society would live a much better and healthier life if their bosses just weren't so greedy.

Reflection of the Game

The game helped me realize how easy it was for the factory owners. I didn't have to go through the pressure of barely having any money and barely getting by. I made so much profit while my workers got almost nothing. After Round 2 I had made almost $1,300 in profit while my workers made $6 each. It really showed me how hard everyone else had to work. I remember Marjory having to kill one of her sons because she couldn't afford food for him. If that was what life was like then that is horrible. Luckily I was a very nice factory owner so at the end of the day I gave all my money/m&m's to my workers. Something the wealthy owners should have done to help out there workers. I generally had a lot of fun during the game. At times it was a little hectic having everyone fighting over jobs and going crazy over m&m's but it really showed us how little money people had to spend and you could even say helped set us up a little bit more for our trip for community service on Monday.

Extra Credit Post: Reflection of Game

In the game, I was in debt the first round because the Industrialist wouldn't take my kids to work for them. They are both old enough but one of the factories wanted more older women rather than children. So in the first round I didn't earn enough money. Then in the second round prices went down and the Industrialist took my whole family. They paid me more than they had in the previous round but I think that there was some sort of change and because they also made more. But after the second round I was out of debt. I didn't buy any luxury items because I wanted to make sure that I would have enough money for the next round. I am not sure if that was the right choice but my family is just going to have to be happy with the "poor" options. I think that this game was kind of confusing and I missed the beginning of class because of a doctors appointment which may have included some information or explanation. I think that if we go over the different times and why each thing happened and what shifts were made to cause these different effects, then it will be really helpful in learning what happened and what it was like.

Extra Credit Game blog

I did not do very well in this game. It was very hard to persuade the head workers to employ the members of you family, because of the enormity of people who needed work. It was a very big mistake to have six kids to support, and as a result I could not afford any money. I was not able to support the very basics of survival requirement. And it would be very many rounds before I could even toy with the idea of buying a luxury item, for after even two rounds I was close to $15 in debt. Life must have been ridiculous for the laboring class.