CAPITAL AND LABOUR
(caricature in Punch Magazine, Mai 1843)
(caricature in Punch Magazine, Mai 1843)
The term social question denotes the opposition between capital and labour [2] [3] [4] (also described as the gap between rich and poor).
The term social question denotes the opposition between capital and labour [2] [3] [4] (also described as the gap between rich and poor).
The term social question refers to the social grievances that accompanied the Industrial Revolution and the following population explosion, that is, the social problems accompanying and resulting from the transition from an agrarian to an urbanising industrial society. In England, the beginning of this transition was to be noted from about 1760, in Germany from the early 19th century. It was characterized by a rapidly growing population that created a wage-earning proletariat, peasant liberation, rural exodus and urbanisation, the decline of the old trades and a gradual emergence of the factory industry.
The term was used first in France " fr:question sociale ", in Germany by the 1840s, "de:soziale Frage " and in the Netherlands as the "sociale vraagstuk." [5] [6] [7]
The core problems of the social question were pauperism and the existential insecurity of peasants, rural servants, artisans, laborers, and small clerks. These problems led to strikes and even riots. [8]
Over time, the problem shifted. Between about the 1850s and the 1870s, industry experienced a strong upswing, while the decline of cottage industries and the crisis of the crafts continued. A third phase in Germany, beginning around 1870, was marked by high industrialization and the transition to an industrial society. The social question now became primarily a workers' question. Mass migration from the countryside to the urban industrial centers, phenomena accompanying the formation of large cities and the social integration of the industrial workforce preoccupied political leaders as well as the bourgeois public. Depending on the perception of the problem and the interests at stake, different approaches to the social question were developed. [9]
The social question resulted in riots, strikes and the foundation of unions and parties. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto trying to give an answer to the problems resulting from the industrialisation. [10] The German Kaiserreich developed social laws, such as a public health insurance, pension system and an unemployment insurance to share social safety with their populations and avoiding socialist revolutions. [11] Being able to produce large amounts of goods on the one hand and creating wealth for a limited group of people while some groups remain poor in a materialistic or intellectual way on the other hand is still an important economic and philosophic challenge to solve.
In 1991, Pope John Paul II pointed out in the encyclical Centesimus annus, that "it is still possible today, as in the days of Rerum novarum, to speak of inhuman exploitation." [12]
In 2013, Pope Francis wrote in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium this here: [13]
"No to an economy of exclusion
53. Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion. Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? This is a case of inequality. Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape."
The European Union is focused on obtaining social rights to defuse the social question. [14]
The United States is focused on reducing social rights to exacerbate the social question. [15] [16] [17]
Distributism is an economic theory asserting that the world's productive assets should be widely owned rather than concentrated. Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distributism was based upon Catholic social teaching principles, especially those of Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical Rerum novarum (1891) and Pope Pius XI in Quadragesimo anno (1931). It has influenced Anglo Christian Democratic movements, and has been recognized as one of many influences on the social market economy.
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fulfill their societal roles and receive their due from society. In the current movements for social justice, the emphasis has been on the breaking of barriers for social mobility, the creation of safety nets, and economic justice. Social justice assigns rights and duties in the institutions of society, which enables people to receive the basic benefits and burdens of cooperation. The relevant institutions often include taxation, social insurance, public health, public school, public services, labor law and regulation of markets, to ensure distribution of wealth, and equal opportunity.
Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe capitalism to be idolatrous and rooted in the sin of greed. Christian socialists identify the cause of social inequality to be the greed that they associate with capitalism. Christian socialism became a major movement in the United Kingdom beginning in the 19th century. The Christian Socialist Movement, known as Christians on the Left since 2013, is one formal group, as well as a faction of the Labour Party.
Rerum novarum, or Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor, is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, passed to all Catholic patriarchs, primates, archbishops and bishops, that addressed the condition of the working classes.
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin encyclios. The term is now primarily associated with papal encyclicals.
Democratic capitalism, also referred to as market democracy, is a political and economic system that integrates resource allocation by marginal productivity, with policies of resource allocation by social entitlement. The policies which characterise the system are enacted by democratic governments.
Catholic social teaching (CST) is an area of Catholic doctrine which is concerned with human dignity and the common good in society. It addresses oppression, the role of the state, subsidiarity, social organization, social justice, and wealth distribution. CST's foundations are considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical, Rerum novarum, which advocated distributism. Its roots can be traced to Catholic theologians such as Thomas Aquinas and Augustine of Hippo. CST is also derived from the Bible and cultures of the ancient Near East.
A social issue is a problem that affects many people within a society. It is a group of common problems in present-day society that many people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's control. Social issues are the source of conflicting opinions on the grounds of what is perceived as morally correct or incorrect personal life or interpersonal social life decisions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues; however, some issues have both social and economic aspects. Some issues do not fall into either category, such as warfare.
The 1889 London dock strike was an industrial dispute involving dock workers in the Port of London. It broke out on 14 August 1889, and resulted in victory for the 100,000 strikers when they won their pay claim of sixpence per hour, the so-called "dockers' tanner". The industrial action also established strong trade unions amongst London dockers, one of which became the nationally important Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union. The strike is widely considered a milestone in the development of the British labour movement, symbolising the growth of the New Unions of casual, unskilled and poorly paid workers, in contrast to the craft unions already in existence. The strike helped to draw attention to the problem of poverty in Victorian Britain and the dockers' cause attracted considerable public sympathy.
Centesimus annus is an encyclical which was written by Pope John Paul II in 1991 on the hundredth anniversary of Rerum novarum, an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. It is part of a larger body of writings, known as Catholic social teaching, which trace their origin to Rerum novarum and aim to relate the teachings of Jesus to the industrial age.
Laborem exercens is an encyclical written by Pope John Paul II in 1981, on human work. It is part of the larger body of Catholic social teaching, which traces its origin to Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical Rerum novarum.
Sir Otto Kahn-Freund, QC was a scholar of labour law and comparative law. He was a professor at the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford.
Social teachings of the papacy encompass papal views described in social encyclicals and other papal communications, beginning with Rerum novarum, Pope Leo XIII's encyclical of 1891.
Caritas in veritate is the third and last encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, and his only social encyclical. It was signed on 29 June 2009 and was published on 7 July 2009. It was initially published in Italian, English, French, German, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Catholic social activism in the United States is the practical application of the notions of Catholic social teaching into American public life. Its roots can be traced to the 19th century encyclical Rerum novarum of Pope Leo XIII.
Events from the year 1891 in Italy.
Prince Aloys Franz de Paula Maria of Liechtenstein, known in English as Prince Louis, was an Austrian politician and member of the House of Liechtenstein. He was a deputy in the Austrian Imperial Council from 1878 to 1889 and 1891 to 1911. From 1910 to 1918 he chaired the Christian Social Party. In 1912 he was appointed to the House of Lords. His commitment to social reforms in the spirit of the "Workers' Pope" Leo XIII and his social encyclical Rerum novarum earned him the nickname "Red Prince".
Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Ludwig Weber was a German Protestant pastor and social reformer. He was a pastor in Mönchengladbach. He was one of the founders of the Evangelical Social Congress and was chairman of the Association of Protestant workers' associations in Germany.
Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals wholly or partly due to their gender or sex. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles. Gender inequality in Nigeria is influenced by different cultures and beliefs. In most parts of Nigeria, women are considered subordinate to their male counterparts, especially in Northern Nigeria as well as in other sectors including the Nigeria music industry, politics, and education sector. It is generally believed that women are best suited as home keepers.
