Ap European History Dbq Analysis

Words: 759
Pages: 4

Demetrios Zioulis
AP European History
Period E

Throughout the course of the 19th century the lives of European workers were in an almost turmoil. This period featured a decrease in the quality of lives for many workers. This sparked a movement and a influx of ideas to potentially better the lives of the European workers. These ideas were being applied towards combating poverty, while liberals advocated laissez faire principles and wanted as minimal government interference as possible. The socialists believed government interference was necessary in order to better the lives of the poor. Communists and Marxists (socialists) called for unity among the proletariat, but even so, there was a group who opposed their views, this group protested the lack of gender rights and suffrage held by the workers.
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In his 1817 Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, David Ricardo states on the side of the liberals that the market should determine the wages of the workers’ not legislature. He is able to make this statement based off of his political beliefs. (doc 2) Thomas Malthus argues along the same lines of capitalism in his Essay on the Principle of Population, stating that the cause of poverty has no relation to government interference whatsoever and that the poor need to accept this fact in order to get rid of their own “distresses”. (doc 1) In an argument against socialists in Chapters on Socialism, John Stuart Mill states that although the distresses amongst the poor are great, with the help of capitalism they are slowly clearing up. (doc