Contents
- Alexander Schneer (1844): “Über die Not der Leinenarbeiter in Schlesien und die Mittel ihr abzuhelfen“; Jérôme-Adolphe Blanqui (1848): “Des classes ouvrières en France, pendant l´année 1848“, Transl. W. Hausenstein. [Text]
- A text and a caricature: “Weaver’s Riot and Redres“. [Text and PNG Image]
- A contemporary woodcut: “Das Ende der Revolution”, A. Rethel. [PNG Images]
Curricular level
Grade 8 Gymnasium/ Realschule: : the Concept of Nation and Wars of Liberation, the Congress of Vienna: the Realignment of Europe and the German Confederation, Restoration, the Liberal and National Movement, the Revolution of 1848/49 in the Context the Occurrences in Bavaria.
Grade 8 Hauptschule: National Unity.
- 1848: “Bottom-Up” Attempt at Unity.
- 1871: “Top-Down” Attempt at Unity – The German Empire.
Abstract
The social problems and grievances accompanying the Industrial Revolution, that is, the transition from agricultural to urbanized industrial society, are referred to as the Social Question. In Germany, the beginning of this transition was registered in the early19th century. Long before this moment in history, acute penury among huge sections of the population had already emerged. This was caused by the growing population, the decline of the old crafts and the gradual emergence of factory industry. The importance of the riot of the Silesian weavers in 1844 consisted in the public attention it attracted. It can also be regarded as a crucial event during the preliminary stages of the revolution beginning in 1848.
The living and working conditions were also a main reason for the French workers to go again (after 1830) to the barricades in 1848. On June 24,1848, there was a riot of workers in a response to closing French National Workshops, which had provided work opportunities for the unemployed.
Conceptual Objectives
The students should become acquainted with the situation of the workers in the Silesian textile industry and of the French industrial workers. They should learn that this industrialization should not be perceived as a regional but as a European phenomenon (keyword: the social question, pauperism). The students should become aware that the social conditions also contributed to the discontent of the population and to the unrest of 1848.
Methodological Objectives and Skills
Analyzing and interpreting pictures.
Analyzing and interpreting contemporary caricatures.
Analyzing, interpreting and comparing historical texts.
Suggestion of Activities
Introduction with the texts of Schneer and Blanqui; students can read the texts aloud in front of the group. Then, the group, together with the teacher, can enumerate the similarities between these works.
The worksheet Caricature is well-suited for group work, since some of the students can deal with the caricature and the others with the text , which will help them to arrive at the solutions to the questions.
For the analysis of the woodcut, each student should first think of their own interpretation, before the solutions are discussed together with the group.
Suggestion of Evaluation
Are the students able to discuss the term “the social question” and the complexity of problems connected with it?
Are the students able to compare the situations in France and in Silesia and to name the differences and the similarities?
