Urbanization in Europe in the 19th Century

Work Assignment

Note down all products you eat during a day. Then try to find out where these products come from and by which means of transport (train, ship, airplane, etc.) they got to your home.

Questionnaire

1. What advantages did the use of machines have for the workers, putting aside the disadvantages?

	Creating new jobs.
	Increase of work at home.
	Easier work.

2. Why did England have the lead in the expansion of the railway network?

	The industrialization started earlier there than on the continent.
	This network had always existed.
	The Englishmen loved going on train trips on Sundays.

Questions of synthesis

The work assignment for the students should remind them once more that, due to urbanization, towns needed connections to the global market and that the infrastructure had to be developed worldwide.

The students should choose 4 to 6 examples of products (e.g. cocoa, tomatoes) they eat every day and examine them on the basis of the following questions:

Where do these products come from?
Why are they imported from this country?
What are the work conditions like in this country?
By what means of transport do they get to my home?
Would I be able to buy this product without this means of transport, too?
How long are these products transported?
Is it possible to buy these products regionally without transport over a wide distance, too?