Economic Systems and Social Movements
Capitalism and Economic Concepts
Capitalism: An economic system where the means of production are privately owned, and capital is invested to maximize profit in a competitive market.
Actions: Title deeds representing part of a company’s capital, also known as shares in corporations.
Trust: A voluntary grouping of companies to control production, dominate the market, and eliminate competition.
Holding: A corporation controlling other companies by owning the majority of their shares.
Luddite: A protest movement in Britain (1811-1830) against machinery, named after Ned Ludd.
Fordism: A system introduced by Henry Ford, combining assembly lines, specialized machinery, high wages, and a large workforce, aiming for low-cost mass production.
Product Standard: Creating a model product to produce identical copies.
Taylorism: Division of labor to increase productivity, involving worker isolation and wage tied to output, named after Frederick W. Taylor.
Stock Exchange: A private organization facilitating the buying and selling of securities.
Machine: Predominant use of machines replacing human labor.
Patent: Exclusive rights granted by a government to an inventor for a new product, typically for 20 years.
Cartel: An association of companies in the same sector, agreeing to control production, distribution, and prices.
Regency: Government during the minority, incapacity, or absence of a monarch; a specific period in British history (1811-1820); a political subdivision in Indonesia; an astrological association.
Carlism: An ultraconservative political movement in Spain advocating for an alternative Bourbon branch to the throne.
Constitution: A written document outlining the rules and principles governing an organization or political entity.
Political Party: An organization with a specific ideology, aiming to participate in elections.
Liberal State: A political system emerging from the liberal revolution, replacing absolute monarchy.
Statement: A military action to overthrow a government or change its policy.
Workers’ Movement
Workers’ Movement:
Barrio Obrero: High-quality housing for low-income workers, often in poorer areas.
Chartist: A mid-19th century UK movement for political and social reform.
Union: An association defending the economic and social interests of its members.
Utopian Socialism: A range of proposals for social reform, from liberal to proto-anarchist.
Marxism: Doctrines by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, including:
- Appreciation: Capitalist accumulation process, central to Marxist value theory.
- Class Struggle: The conflict between social classes as the driving force of history.
- Historical Materialism: Philosophical doctrine positing material conditions as the basis of history.
- Dictatorship of the Proletariat: Transition to a classless society after a Marxist revolution.
Communism: Ideologies and systems for social, economic, and political organization.
Anarchism: Rejection of the state and all forms of authority, emphasizing individual freedom.
Social Classes:
- Proletariat: Workers who sell their labor for wages.
- Bourgeois: Belonging to the bourgeoisie, the wealthy class.
Historical Events
Facts to Remember:
First International: An organization (1864-1876) uniting workers from different countries.
Pragmatic Sanction: A royal decree affecting key state matters, such as succession.
Carlist Wars: Three 19th-century wars in Spain, arising from the Carlist movement.
The Glorious Revolution: The 1868 Spanish revolution dethroning Queen Isabella II.
First Republic: The first Spanish Republic (1873-1874), with a democratically elected head of state and government.