Historical Background

of Rizal’s Time
“Heroes are made, not born.
They are products of their
social milieu.”
Historical Background

□ To understand and appreciate

the life and works of Jose
Rizal, it is necessary to learn
about the historical conditions
of the world and of the
Philippines during his time.
□ The essence of the life of Jose
Rizal is marked by the
conditions that existed during
his lifetime in the Philippines
and around the world,
particularly in Europe.
The World in the
th
19 Century
• The 19th Century
stands out as an
extremely dynamic,
creative and
ever-changing
period, especially in
Europe.
• As a century of rapid
progress and radical
changes, concepts such as
industrialism, democracy,
nationalism, socialism
and human rights gained
ascendancy and triggered
revolutionary changes in
science, technology,
economics and politics,
significantly affecting the
lives and fortunes of
mankind.
The World in the
th
19 Century
□ Several world
events changed the
course of human
history.
□ On the very year
(1861) that Rizal
was born, many
historical events
and changes have
transpired.
Historical Events
th
in the 19 Century

□ Russian Czar
Alexander II
proclaimed the
emancipation of
22,500,000 serfs to
appease the rising
discontent of the
Russian masses.
• The American Civil War
was raging furiously in
the United States over
the issue of Negro
slavery, which compelled
President Abraham
Lincoln to issue
Emancipation
Proclamation on 1862
freeing the Negro slaves.
• Emperor
Napoleon III’s
(France) ambition
to colonize Latin
America was
subverted by
Mexican President
Benito Juarez who
liberated his
country from
foreign intervention.
• On the formation of national communities,
Italy and Germany succeeded in their
unification movements.
• The German Empire was established on
1871 when Iron Chancellor Otto Von
Bismarck defeated the French in the
Franco-Prussian War. With his defeat in the
Franco-Prussian War, Emperor Napoleon
III’s Second French Empire collapsed.
Imperialism
British Imperialism

□ Western imperialism
gained momentum
with Great Britain,
under the glorious
reign of Queen
Victoria, emerging
as the leading colonial
power.
 British Imperialism

• India, Burma, Sri Lanka,

Maldives, Singapore, Egypt and
Malaya were consolidated into the
British Empire.
• Hong Kong and eventually
Kawloon Peninsula was ceded by
China to Great Britain after its
defeat in the Opium War.
• Australia and New Zealand also
became part of British colonies.
The French Empire

• Not to be outdone, France also

gained several colonies in
Southeast Asia such as
Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
to form the French Indo-China.
 Meiji Japan

□ On 1853, the United States

opened Japan to the world,
ending Japan’s 214-year
self-imposed isolation.
□ Emperor Mutsuhito (Meiji
Japan) modernized the
country by accepting Western
influences. No sooner had
Japan strengthened its army
that it began its imperialistic
career by grabbing Formosa
and Pescadores and annexing
Korea.
Industrialization
The Challenge of Industrialization

• Modernization of living was made

possible through industrialization
and scientific progress.
The Challenge of Industrialization

• Because of the necessity to meet

the growing demands of the
expanding world market, this led to
inventions of labor-saving
machines.
• The use of machines in
manufacture of goods led to the
shift from manual work to machine
work, and from the domestic
system to the factory system.
 The Industrial Revolution
• This change was made possible through the Industrial
Revolution, which started in England and spread to
other European countries.
• It rapidly gained momentum towards the second half of
the 19th century.
 The Industrial Revolution
• Industrialization was accelerated by the
discovery of oil, gasoline and electricity as
sources of power and industrial energy.
The Industrial Revolution

• The motorized age was heralded by the

invention of the internal combustion engine
and the construction of railways and
steamships.
The Industrial Revolution
• Engineering feats like the
construction of steel bridges
and the Suez Canal opened
shorter routes for commerce.
The Industrial Revolution
• Telephone, telegraph and cable
facilities enabled the people to better
communicate.
• The invention of steam engines
paved the way for better and faster
transportation.
• These faster means of transportation
and communications enabled the
people to have better contacts for
business and trade. Hence, free
trade was encouraged and the
development of international
commerce was hastened.
Scientific Developments
• With industrialization came
scientific progress.
• The need for new techniques in
processing materials led to
scientific inventions and
discoveries.
• Several new branches of science
emerged and the fields of
chemistry, geology, psychology,
sociology and medicine made
great progress.
• With these developments, some
groups of people enjoyed
material and economic prosperity,
better standards of living, better
education and social
opportunities.
 The Rise of New Social Classes
□ The factory system
employed thousands
of workers or
proletariats—the
property-less
class—and a new
group of
producers—called
capitalists or
bourgeoisie
class—also
emerged.
• The economic progress created by
Industrial Revolution made the
bourgeoisie a rich, powerful and
influential class in Western society.
• On the other hand, because of
continuous improvement of
machinery and the competition
among capitalists, as well as low
wage output, the workers became
subject of exploitation.
• Eventually, the workers increased
in number and strengthen in unity.
They organized trade unions to
solidify their pleas for better wages
and working conditions.
The Need for Colonies

• As Western countries became

industrialized, competition for markets
became stiff and hence, they began
acquiring colonies for:
1. Sources of raw materials such as precious
metals for industrial production;
2. Sources of cheap labor for factories;
3. Markets of their surplus products; and
4. Military bases for further colonial expansion.
• This economic and
scientific development
encouraged free trade
policies that hastened
the development of
international commerce.
• The Philippines, as a
source of raw materials
and as a market for
finished products was
eventually drawn into the
orbit of international
trade especially after
1834 when it was
opened to world trade.
Rise of Liberal Ideas
Liberal ideas of the 19th Century

□ The teachings of the French

Revolution: fraternity, liberty and
equality.
□ The ideas behind the American
revolution: independence and
democracy.
□ The principles of the inalienable
rights of man, universal suffrage and
popular sovereignty
Ideals of Socialism
□ The foremost advocate of
socialist ideas was Karl
Marx, who declared that
only a violent revolution
could improve the
conditions of the
workers.
□ Marx espoused to abolish
private ownership and
the centralization of all
the means of production
into state control.
 Ideals of Socialism
• Socialists proposed to remedy
the evils of capitalism.
• They rallied for a common
cause: the equitable distribution
of the fruits of production.
• How to distribute equally the
fruits of production?
– The government should own and
control the means of production for
the benefit of the majority and plan
the economy to avoid surplus
production.
 Ideals of Socialism
• The workers who were
influenced by Marxist
principles began to make
more demands from their
capitalist employers.
• Their insistent agitation
resulted in the enactment of
labor laws on fixed working
hours, universal education,
better pay, old age pension
and better working conditions.
• Hence, the struggle for
nationalism, especially in
Asia, was always
complemented by proletarian
demands.
• Although, socialism
was gaining popularity,
Filipino middle class
members (illustrado)
were more attracted to
manifestations of
democratic and
nationalist ideals,
especially those that
guaranteed natural and
civil rights.
Ideals of Democracy
• Of all the achievements of
the 19th Century, the most
significant was the growing
appreciation for the worth
and dignity of the
individual and his right to
participate in the
government.
• The ideals of
democracy—the
government in which the
supreme authority
emanates from the
people—gained popularity.
Ideals of Democracy

• Democracy implies popular and free

elections, free speech, free press,
freedom of assembly and freedom of
religion.
• Abraham Lincoln: “Democracy is a
government of the people, by the people
and for the people.”
• The democratic movements forced
governments to be more concerned with
the economic security, living standards
and education of the masses.
Ideals of Nationalism
• The struggle for
nationhood became the
most imminent concern
of colonies in the 19th
century.
• Militant nationalism
emerged among young
nations like Germany
and Italy, and among
oppressed colonies like
the Balkan states.
 What is meant by
nationalism?
• Nationalism is a condition of
the mind, feeling or sentiment
of a group of people living in
a well-defined geographical
area, speaking a common
language, with literature that
expresses the aspirations of
the nation being attached to
common traditions.
• Nationalism is love of country
with all its inhabitants, finding
commonality in aspiration
towards a goal that
transcends local borders.
• It springs from the consciousness of national
identity of being one people—a sense of belonging
expressed in the recognition and appreciation of a
common historical past and cultural tradition.
□ It is a strong feeling
among the people
that they belong to
the same race or
ancestry, sharing the
same history, culture
and traditions, and
speaking the same
language.
The Ideals of
Jose Rizal

• Rizal, as a product of
his era, sets forth his
message a human
declaration that all
human beings
without distinction of
any kind are born
free and equal in
dignity and rights.
• These are some of the ideals and
principles that shaped Rizal’s
consciousness and had a profound
influence on his life, works and
writings.