Aristocracy- a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility. Midddle class: After feudalism came to an end in Europe, a new class of men came to the forefront of the society , the middle class.They were the trading class, the mercantile and the business class and the professionals.
THE ARISTOCRACY AND THE NEW MIDDLE CLASS: It is usually, through influential people, an idea is popularized. In Europe, there were mainly two such groups that had the influence.
One was the aristocratic class, which owned large estates and townhouses, but they were numerically small. The other class, which gained popularity, influence, and a number, was a working population. They were people who made money during the growth of industrialization and included business people and professionals. It was among these people where the birth of national unity took place.
The Aristrocracy and the New Middle Class
(i) The Aristrocracy and the New Middle Class : (1) The members of this class were united by a common way of life that cut across regional diversions. They owned castes in the countryside and also town houses. This powerful austocracy was however, numerically a small group. The majority of the population was made up of the peasantry. (2) Industrialisation began in England in the second half of the 18th century, but in France and parts of the German states it occured only during the 19th century. (3) In its make new social groups came in to being a working class population and middle classes made up to industrialists, businessmen, professionals. It was among the educated, liberal middle classes that ideas of national unity following the abolition of aristocratic privileges gained popularity.
