Social and Cultural Dynamics: Examining 19th Century European Society

This essay provides an overview of the social and cultural transformations in 19th century Europe. It discusses how Europeans perceived 'others' and the internal social dynamics influenced by industrialization and emerging social classes. The essay highlights concerns about public morality, the rise of popular entertainment like kinetographs, and the impact of sports culture, particularly the German gymnastic tradition, on both the middle and working classes. It also touches upon the conflict between bourgeois and proletarian values, as well as the role of popular media like newspapers in shaping public opinion. The analysis draws upon historical context to illustrate the complex interplay of societal forces during this period. Desklib offers a wide range of past papers and solved assignments to aid students in their studies.

Running head: 19TH CENTURY EUROPE
19TH CENTURY EUROPE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

119TH CENTURY EUROPE
For several centuries, Europe’s “others” had been recognized as the ‘barbarian’ people
encountered by the Greeks and the Romans following the Islamic Arabs and later the Mongols.
However, for five centuries, the Ottoman Turks persisted as the primary ‘other’ section for
Christendom. In all such events, the recognized ‘others’ were enemies who significantly
constituted a direct intimidation to the Europeans belonging to the Christian communities
(Colantoni). During the initial phase of modern era, the encounters of the European were
regarded as the significance of a process of development on the part of the dynamic Western
societies during the event of their expansion and transition into a modern capitalist economies
and nation-states.
Certain conservative, religious as well as urbane domains had articulated the viciousness
which had been creating corruption to the masses in Germany and Austria. The German Poets’
Memorial Foundation emerged in the later phase of 19th century in order to attain the unrefined
literary pieces of work for considerable rate of sales to the libraries who served the masses
(Colantoni). Furthermore, the socialist as well as trade-union institutions posed equivalent rate of
concern which developed by the corruption of the public and further demanded for the sincere
and upright proletariats who were recognized to be appropriate for the society.
The fight between bourgeois and the proletarian sector had been witnessed against the
popular choices and the established trade of literary pieces. Petit Parisien, literary piece by well-
recognized notary clerk Jean Dupuy reportedly sold greater number of copies in comparison to
the Petit Journal in 1901 (Colantoni). However, these daily news journals had been recognized as
the essential element of the lower middle class segment and a major proportion of the working
class. However, they did not correspond to the perceptions of any specific segment and thus had
been positioned in the narrow political domain.

219TH CENTURY EUROPE
At this juncture, the ‘kinetograph’ has been recognized which is referred as a mechanism
that purposed to transform the domain of accepted form of entertainment whereby the authorities
and rights had been attained by Emil Rathenau for Germany which further provided a collective
projection of motion pictures in Berlin Wintergarten. Furthermore, not only the bourgeois class
but further the revolutionary, socialist and trade union activists raised greater degree of concern
regarding the demoralization of proletariat through the acts of alcoholism and semi-pornographic
forms of entertainment shown in the theatres and auditoriums (Colantoni). The lower rank
signifying unreserved seats characterized the recognized popular theatre in order to promote the
position of the working class had been perceived as a form of German creation.
The proletariat segment of Europe revealed considerable degree of influence of sport
culture. The two vital traditions constituting the middle class labor class sport culture
demonstrated the popular German tradition of gymnastic representing a martial and patriotic
training regulated by the Deutsche Turnerschaft (Colantoni). The association of the European
sport culture was subjugated by the insignificant bourgeoisie segment until the later phase of
nineteenth century whereby a significant incursion of labor class youth population who attained
immense rate of contentment from the various forms of athletic activities.

319TH CENTURY EUROPE
Reference
Colantonio, Laurent. "Robert Gildea, Barricades and Borders. Europe, 1800-1914, Oxford,
Oxford University Press, 2003 (1ère éd. 1987), 529 p." Revue d'histoire du XIXe siècle. Société
d'histoire de la révolution de 1848 et des révolutions du XIXe siècle 26/27 (2003): 438-440.