Class system in UK

Essay by Hantta81University, Master'sB+, March 2008

download word file, 4 pages 4.0

What are social classes and how they took form in UK?During the history there has been always stratification between individuals and groups in society. Class system can be noticed in many countries, especially nation states. It is also obvious fact that Britain has stronger class system than many other European countries e.g. Sweden or Norway. But the social structure of Britain has clearly changed with the centuries.

/ 1, 2, 3/One of the first historical point of Britain's class systems was the Norman Conquest of 1066. When the William of Normandy won the battle against the king of Saxon, Harold, it was confirmed that originates of strong division of people into three main social classes (lower, middle and upper) will be live in Britain many centuries. The Upper classes tends to consist of people with inherited wealth, and includes some of the oldest families, with many of them being titled aristocrats.

This class also owned and still nowadays owns main part of the all the land. The Middle Classes people were e.g. merchants or farm owners and the lower class consist of Cottagers and labourers. /2,4,5;pages 195-197/There were some changes in the class system in the middle ages, but next significant era was the industrial revolution in the 19th and 20th centuries. The working class divided into skilled and unskilled workers as well as the middle class divided into lower, middle and upper section. It depends on job classification and wealth in which class people were classified. But hence industrial revolution also the ordinary people could rise from the lower lever to upward. The upper class was still based on ownership of property, birth and inherited money rather than by self-made money. The development of education in the twentieth century offer for many work and middle class family's childs...