World History: 1200 to the Present · Module 7 of 16
Reform, Reaction & Society
The new ideas — some liberating, some dangerous — that reshaped how people understood science, class, and rights.
The Rise of Socialism & Marxism
- In response to poor industrial working conditions, socialism emerged, advocating for collective or government ownership of production to reduce inequality.
- Karl Marx argued that capitalism inherently exploited workers (the proletariat) and predicted that workers would eventually revolt against factory owners (the bourgeoisie) to create a classless society.
What did Karl Marx argue was the fundamental conflict in capitalist society?
Solution. A class conflict between the bourgeoisie (owners of factories and capital) and the proletariat (working class), which Marx believed would eventually lead workers to revolt and overthrow the capitalist system.
Women's Suffrage Movement
- Women's suffrage movements campaigned for women's right to vote, gaining momentum in the late 1800s and early 1900s in countries like Britain and the United States.
- Suffragists used tactics ranging from petitions and peaceful protest to more militant actions, like hunger strikes, to draw attention to their cause.
What was the main goal of the women's suffrage movement?
Solution. To win women the legal right to vote, which they achieved in various countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through sustained activism.
Scientific & Cultural Change
- Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection (1859) challenged traditional religious views of creation and profoundly influenced scientific and social thought.
- New technologies — electricity, the telegraph, the automobile — transformed daily life and connected the world more closely than ever before.
How did Darwin's theory of evolution challenge traditional beliefs of the time?
Solution. It proposed that species, including humans, evolved gradually through natural selection rather than being created in their current form, conflicting with many traditional religious explanations of creation.
Check yourself
2 of this module's 5 quiz questions. Pick your answers, then check them in the app, with an explanation for every question.
1. What did Social Darwinism wrongly apply to human societies?
2. According to Marx, what two classes were in conflict under capitalism?
Social Darwinism
How was Social Darwinism used to justify imperialism?
Solution. It falsely applied the idea of "survival of the fittest" to nations and races, framing European domination over colonized peoples as a natural, even inevitable outcome of supposed racial or cultural superiority.