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The Rise of the Middle Class

The Rise of the Middle Class. Ani Marellapudi & Daniel Minunni. The Middle Class. By 1000 A.D the old social order of nobles, clergy, and peasants changed. Merchants, traders, and artisans, ranked between nobles and peasants, made a new social class called the middle class.

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The Rise of the Middle Class

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  1. The Rise of the Middle Class Ani Marellapudi & Daniel Minunni

  2. The Middle Class • By 1000 A.D the old social order of nobles, clergy, and peasants changed. • Merchants, traders, and artisans, ranked between nobles and peasants, made a new social class called the middle class.

  3. The Middle Class (Cont’d) • Nobles and the clergy were not in favor of this new social class. • The nobles thought that towns were disruptive and beyond their control. • The clergy did not agree with usury and thought it was immoral.

  4. The Rise of Guilds • When the middle class gained economic and political power, groups of workers created associations known as guilds. • Guilds helped pass laws, levy taxes, and decided where to spend funds.

  5. The Rise of Guilds (Cont’d) • Members of a guild cooperated to protect their economic interests. • Guild membership was limited. • People not of a guild were not allowed to work in the trade. • Guilds made rules to ensure the quality of their goodsand regulate hours of labor. • They also provided social services.

  6. Becoming a Guild Member • At the age of seven or eight, a child might become an apprentice to a guild master. • After spending seven years learning the trade, the apprentice was ready to start working. • Few apprentices became guild members but instead worked as journeymen.

  7. The Role of Women in Guilds • Women often performed the trade of her father or husband. • She might inherit the workshop if he died. • Young girls became apprentices in trades such as ribbonmaking and papermaking.

  8. Town and City Life • Medieval towns and cities were surrounded by tall and protective walls. • As a city grew, the space inside the walls was filled to overflowing. • Many residents built second and third stories to their homes and shop to accommodate for the lack of space.

  9. Town and City Life (Cont’d) • Almost all cities had a church with a great steeple. • Some of the largest cities had a great cathedral or a luxurious guild hall. • People of similar backgrounds usually lived in neighborhoods around the church.

  10. Town and City Life (Cont’d) • During the day, streets were loud with the yelling and shouting of merchants selling their merchandise. • At night, streets were unlit and deserted. • Almost no towns had garbage collection or a sewer system. • Towns were filthy, smelly, noisy, and crowded.

  11. Bibliography • Ellis, Elisabeth Gaynor, and Anthony Esler. "The Rise of The Middle Class." World History. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2007. 235-36. Print. • “Medieval Towns and Cities.” Medieval World. 2010. Expert Space. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://expertspace.groiler.com/article?id=10003047&product_id=ngo> • "Guilds in the Middle Ages." Middle-Ages. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. <http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/guilds-in-the-middle-ages.htm>.

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