History and context of journalism lecture/reading one:

Free trade, Industrial state and the growth of cities:


Act of Union 1707- was the first British empire. But there was a possibility of a Scottish empire. Instead, Britain and Scotland together creating the UK.
Darien:
New Caledonia; cost one fifth of Scotland wealth but was a disaster. People fell ill and starving, so fled. Scotland never recovered and surrendered sovereignty in the act of union 1707. defeat of Prince Charles Stuart at Culloden 1746 established the UK. In 1801 An act of union involving Ireland took place after famine and revolution. 

As a result of the French revolution,  despite taxes created for to pay for Napoleonic war efforts, Britain were able to thrive on the rising levels of exports because the french were 'cut' out of trade. British naval power was absolute and were able to create a new empire. The trans Atlantic triangle of trade (slave trade) was also very profitable for Britain. 16^th century one million slaves transported from Africa to America - 17^th century 3 million - 18^th century 7 million. 

After the war ended, an industrial slump occurred creating unemployment and low wages.  The corn law was created and meant tariffs on imported grain as a government effort to save the British farming industry. 

The industrial revolution - 1760 to 1830:

Manchester was seen as the center of the revolution and was described as 'hell on earth' it was polluted, diseased and poverty stricken, with people living in slums. During this time Marx and Engels began working toward the communist manifesto, published in 1848. 

Politics:

The idea of 'class consciousness' was developed and in doing so people became aware of the unfair workings of parliament in that industrial towns were not able to elect MP's.  Peterloo Massacre, 1819 Manchester: cavalry charged a crowd of 60,000 demanding parliamentary reform. From this unions were began as a method of rejecting the government. 

Farming:

The industry changed dramatically; farming enclosure had ended the idea of landholding peasantry, and huge farming enterprises were created, the 'Enclosures Act' sent peasants who had lived on their farms to the city.

People became much poorer; New Poor Law Act 1834 stated that no able bodied person was to receive money or help from poor law unless they were in a workhouse.This is considered utilitarianism, a view of Bentham: 'Happiness as a pleasure with the absence of pain.'



The romantic movement;

In its most basic form is described as a revolt against ethical and aesthetic standards, with Rousseau as its leading philosopher. the above demonstrates how prominent industrialism and this movement was a revolt against it because it was seen by romanticists to the aesthetically unpleasing and interfering in individualism (aesthetics refers to beauty and value in something usefulness). They were against utilitarianism, which was accepted by others and is based on the idea that virtue is based on utility, and that actions should be directed toward gaining the greatest happiness of the greatest number of persons.

Rousseau;

 Believed in the ethic of sensibility, which took the place of ordinary virtues. He believed in the 'Noble savage'; the stage of human development in which humankind was most happy, as well as that least subject to violent upheavals and the period best for humankind before we became civilized. His ideal state of nature is one of natural law and doesn't object to natural inequality. Though the main cause is believed by him to be the ownership of private property. He believed that 'man is naturally good and only by institutions is he made bad.'