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Through the 18th century, Webern (still mostly European) society was dominated by aristocrats. Most of Europe was ruled by monarchies. Ad the United States was just beginning its mercurial growth. Three Great Empires dominated much of Europe (Austria, Prussia, and Russia) controlled most of the Continent. Britain was not yet democratic. France had been returned to absolutist Bourbon control. Almost all of the rest of the Continent was ruled by monarchies. Aristocrats not only governed Western countries, but controlled much of the Wealth. And as a result fashion was primarily an aristocratic dalliance. The French Revolution had a major impact. In addition, important change had begun in Britain with the Industrial Revolution. This was creating a shift in wealth from the landed aristocracy to the new industrial businessmen. This meant an enormous expansion of the middle-class need to run an industrial economy. Change had begun in Britain, but not yet on the Continent. This had huge potential consequences for fashion. Until the 19th century, fashion was primarily a cultural expression dominated by the aristocracy. The affluent middle class might afford fashion, but the numbers were very limited. An important to understand is that fashion was a continental phenomenon. Aristocrats no matter what country they came from followed the same major fashion trends. You can not identify countries by the ways aristocrats dressed. The common people dressed different country by country, but not the aristocrats. This was beginning to change in Britain because of the Industrial Revolution and the growth of the middle-cllass. This only began in the Continent after the Napoleonic Wars in the 1820s. The growth of the middle-class meant that wealth was beginning to flow out of aristocratic hands into the middle-class. This meant that more an more commoners were acquiring wealth and thus able to dress fashionably.
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