Democracy established due to the class struggles

A. King John signs Magna Carta due to the noble's unhappiness with his rule and abuse of power. 1. 1215- Nobles angry with King John for raising taxes to pay for a costly and unsuccessful war in France and forced John to sign Magna Carta, which limits the monarch's power 2. The social class of the "nobles" rebel against the oppressive monarchy. B. In 600 B.C. political reforms resulted from the economic and political crisis 1. To pay for debts, poor farmers pledged part their crops to wealthy landowners. Some later sold themselves into slavery. Poor farmers are struggling 2. Solon, a respected statesman passed a law outlawing slavery, and Athens avoided devastation of revolution and civil war. 3. Established four classes of citizenship based on wealth instead of heredity. Citizens of three higher classes could hold office, all citizens could vote. This was established to try and prevent further struggles of the lower class. C. The American colonists protested when they were taxed heavily by the British Empire. 1. They had no representatives in the British Parliament, and took up the call no taxation without representation. 2. This was the cause of the American Revolution, which was won by the Americans, giving their independence.

Class struggle in French Revolution/Enlightenment

D. Enlightenment ideas were proposed to keep balance among the people and try to prevent social class struggles, but were overall unsuccessful 1. Multiple thinkers contributed to enlightenment ideas. Locke- natural rights, Voltaire- freedom of thought, Wollstonecraft- women's rights, Montesquieu- separated government powers. 2. Catherine the Great was an enlightened despot who reformed Russia with Enlightenment ideals
Followed the ideas of Montesquieu- religious tolerance, and Beccaria- abolishing torture and capital punishment. Because her reforms did little to improve the lives of Russian peasants, the serfs rebelled in 1773.

3. Enlightenment ideals were the ideas which gave peasants motivation for the French Revolution E. In the 18th century, dissatisfied peasants in France rose up against the oppressive nobility in the French Revolution. 1. The clergy and nobility enjoyed many privileges, while the commoners were forced to pay for their problems.
a) For example, the clergy and nobility were exempt from taxes, although they had the most wealth. The peasants and bourgeoisie, on the other hand, paid about half their income to the government. The only input the working class had in the government was a system in which each of the three estates (the clergy, nobles, and working class) each had one vote. However, since the clergy and nobles always sided against the commoners, this system was negated as a result of the revolution.

2. In the aftermath of the war, the situation of the peasants did not improve. a. During the Reign of Terror, Maximilien Robespierre and other radicals who believed that monarchy should not exist, ruled over and oppressed those who opposed their views. b. Oppressed become oppressors, France becomes social class struggle of the radicals against others. c. After the Reign of Terror was ended, Napoleon Bonaparte, a young general in the army, took control of France. Under Napoleon, all people, nobles and commoners alike, were equal, and were equally mistreated. Equalization->Less class struggle

Industrial Age, proletariat versus bourgeoisie and Imperialism and rebellions

F. In the Industrial Age, people moved from farms to factories in the cities in a process known as urbanization. 1. Due to new inventions and opportunities, the middle class began to rise in strength, wealth, and power. 2. Poor workers livelihoods were replaced by machines, and they began to become poorer and poorer. Some people, called Luddites, responded by smashing the machines that were putting them out of work. 3. Proletariat rise up against bourgeoisie. Haves versus have nots. Ideas of Marxism G. Age of Imperialism was an age of oppression against the "lesser beings" or savages by the industrialized Europe. 1. In the 19th century, Britain took control of India. Many Indians were forced into servitude, and they became second class citizens in their own country. The Indians eventually rebelled in "Sepoy Rebellion" 2. The British restricted the powers of the native tribes in Africa, taking some of them as slaves. They brutalized the slaves and brought them to foreign countries as a source of free labor. In many cases, the slaves later rebelled and eventually won their freedom.

3. The Boer War and fight for South Africa was a three way class struggle. The powerful British dominated the weaker Dutch who dominated the more primitive Zulus.

Struggles in the Modern World

H. A series of riots and demonstrations across Kyrgyzstan in April 2010 ultimately led to the ousting of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev 1. uprising stemmed from growing anger against Bakiyev's administration, rising energy prices, and the sluggish economy, and follow the government's closure of several media outlets. Government reported to be corrupt 2. Protesters took control of a government office in Talas on April 6, and on April 7 clashes between protesters and police in the capital Bishkek turned violent. At least 88 deaths and over 1000 injuries have been confirmed I. Social class struggle in Romania 1. The Bourgeoisie tried to unload the weight of Romanias economic crisis onto the working class. 2. A decrease in pay cuts and pension plans caused 10,000 members of the working class to protest in front of the Romanian parliament on October 27th, 2010. 3. 25% cut in public sector wages and a 15% cut in pensions. This is what led to the protests in May of this year which saw up to 40,000 people marching through the streets of Buchares J. The working class in India struggle against direct imperialist exploitation and oppression. 1. Indian bourgeoisie exploit the Indian workers (dalits) and force them to work under grueling conditions. 2. In January of 2009, oil workers in Bihar, India went on strike to improve working conditions, but the protest was put down when the state used ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) to crush the riots.