Question

At the end of nineteenth century, many people appeared confident and prosperous, but others had doubts. Write a paragraph describing the two points of view. Explain who was likely to hold each point of view and why.

Answer 1

At the turn of the century, many countries were rich, people believed that social justice was being ensured and that countries were prospering. Others lived in fear because they were aware of the militaristic policies and they noticed that the militaries of all countries increased twice in size. Everything seemed as if things were going well while in reality people were preparing for a mass scale war which resulted with WW1.

Answer 2

At the turn of the century, inequality was a major problem. This was particularly true in urban centers. As the Industrial Revolution had brought many people from rural areas to the urban cities looking for work, problems such as housing, sanity and workers' rights were at the forefront of political discussions. It is likely that workers who worked in factories and saw very little compensation had their doubts about prosperity or hope about the future. On the other hand, the rise of industry also led to the rise of entrepreneurs, inventors and industry magnates. They would most likely be the people who defended progress confidently and had more hopes for the future.