Instead of coaligating in an impoverished mass, the proletariat was subdivided between qualified "workers' aristocracies" and a vicious lumopenproletarian. The first preferred strikes and collective bargaining to the revolution {...}, the second preferred the gin.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
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In "Civilization: The West and the Rest," Niall Ferguson discusses the division within the proletariat, highlighting how the working class is not a monolithic group. Instead of uniting in their struggles, they are split into two distinct factions: the skilled workers, referred to as "workers' aristocracies," who lean towards negotiating through strikes and collective bargaining, and a marginalized group known as the lumpenproletariat, which is characterized by their struggle and reliance on vices such as alcohol.

This division suggests that the working class's interests and actions vary significantly, undermining the potential for a unified revolutionary movement. Ferguson points out that the "workers' aristocracies" are more inclined to seek improvements within the system rather than pursue radical change, while the lumpenproletariat reflects the desperation of those on the fringes of society. This disparity complicates the social dynamics and challenges the idea of a cohesive proletarian uprising.

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Civilization: The West...
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Other quotes in Civilization: The West and the Rest

by the second decade of the twentieth century the gap in living standards between London and Beijing was around six to one, compared with two to one in the eighteenth century.36
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
by the second decade of the twentieth century the gap in living standards between London and Beijing was around six to one, compared with two to one in the eighteenth century.36
In 1800 seven out of the world's ten biggest cities had still been Asian, and Beijing had still exceeded London in size. By 1900, largely as a result of the Industrial Revolution, only one of the biggest was Asian; the rest were European or American.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
In 1800 seven out of the world's ten biggest cities had still been Asian, and Beijing had still exceeded London in size. By 1900, largely as a result of the Industrial Revolution, only one of the biggest was Asian; the rest were European or American.
In 1515 a decree of Sultan Selim I had threatened with death anyone found using the printing press.36 This failure to reconcile Islam with scientific progress was to prove disastrous. Having once provided European scholars with ideas and inspiration, Muslim scientists were now cut off from the latest research. If the Scientific Revolution was generated by a network, then the Ottoman Empire was effectively offline.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
In 1515 a decree of Sultan Selim I had threatened with death anyone found using the printing press.36 This failure to reconcile Islam with scientific progress was to prove disastrous. Having once provided European scholars with ideas and inspiration, Muslim scientists were now cut off from the latest research. If the Scientific Revolution was generated by a network, then the Ottoman Empire was effectively offline.
My generation feels like it's the lucky one,' she told me one night. 'Our grandparents had the Great Leap Forward, our parents had the Cultural Revolution. But we get to study, to travel, to make money. So I guess we really don't think that much about the Square thing.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
My generation feels like it's the lucky one,' she told me one night. 'Our grandparents had the Great Leap Forward, our parents had the Cultural Revolution. But we get to study, to travel, to make money. So I guess we really don't think that much about the Square thing.
The Japan in which Hiro-Hito reached adulthood was a country that admired the West for his modernity while resenting against him for his arrogance. It seemed that, to be treated as an equal, Japan would also have to acquire the last of Western accessories: an empire.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
The Japan in which Hiro-Hito reached adulthood was a country that admired the West for his modernity while resenting against him for his arrogance. It seemed that, to be treated as an equal, Japan would also have to acquire the last of Western accessories: an empire.
Instead of coaligating in an impoverished mass, the proletariat was subdivided between qualified "workers' aristocracies" and a vicious lumopenproletarian. The first preferred strikes and collective bargaining to the revolution {...}, the second preferred the gin.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
Instead of coaligating in an impoverished mass, the proletariat was subdivided between qualified "workers' aristocracies" and a vicious lumopenproletarian. The first preferred strikes and collective bargaining to the revolution {...}, the second preferred the gin.
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I found Esau's field guide at the bottom of my pack. Taking a candle into the bedroom, I read his book until my eyes grew heavy. From his vast notes, it seemed that almost every plant and tree in the jungle had a reason for existing. I caught myself wishing there was a page in his guide that had my picture on it with the reason for my existence written underneath in Esau's neat hand.
Here's a nifty solution: Each couple that marries should take on an entirely new surname, chosen however they want as long as both agree to it, so that a day after the wedding, both husband and wife can hold hands and joyfully journey off to the municipal offices to change their passports, driver's licenses, signatures, initials, bank accounts, etc.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Dear Ijeawele, or A...
Here's a nifty solution: Each couple that marries should take on an entirely new surname, chosen however they want as long as both agree to it, so that a day after the wedding, both husband and wife can hold hands and joyfully journey off to the municipal offices to change their passports, driver's licenses, signatures, initials, bank accounts, etc.
{...} what I wish for Chizalum is the following: that she is full of opinions, and that her opinions stem from a well-informed, humane, and open mind. That she have health and happiness. That she have the life she wants to have.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Dear Ijeawele, or A...
{...} what I wish for Chizalum is the following: that she is full of opinions, and that her opinions stem from a well-informed, humane, and open mind. That she have health and happiness. That she have the life she wants to have.
«In memory of the countless men and women of all creeds, nations, and races who fell victim to the fascist and communist belief in the Inexorable Laws of Historical Destiny.»
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«In memory of the countless men and women of all creeds, nations, and races who fell victim to the fascist and communist belief in the Inexorable Laws of Historical Destiny.»
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