A Study On The Middle Class Voluntary Societies In19th Century Britain

In the modernization process of the19th century, Britain has gradually formed a more mature, independent of political country public sphere—the civil society. The British middle class by means of the voluntary societies, built the public sphere, attended political activities positively, which pushed the development of the political democratization. This paper is to study the relationship between the civil society and political state, with the perspectives of the civil society theory and the point-cut of the middle class voluntary societies in the19th Century British modernization of macro historical context. Based on this purpose, this paper makes a thorough and systematic analysis of the voluntary associations ranging from the social foundation, organization types, morphological structures and economic mechanism, social function and its relationship with the country, trying to shed light on the internal relatives between the voluntary societies and social development of Britain so as to discuss it objectively and fairly.The rise of the British middle class voluntary societies in19th century had profound cultural historical origins and solid social foundation. The culture foundation including the17-18th century enlightenment thinkers’civil society theory, the19th-century liberal thought and the idea of "self-help" of the middle class. Industrial Revolution had greatly changed the class structure of traditional society in that the middle class has become the main class in British society. With the growth of the middle class economic strength and the formation of class" consciousness, and that they must have the demand of political change and the desire of the regime. British society at that time, however, was not provide an organizational form to exert their influence and access to social popularity for this group, they must create their own institutions. Along with the swift and violent development of the industrialization, Britain has entered into the era of rapid urbanization, and series of social problems in cities come forth subsequently, what become the objective reality factors that the middle class set up voluntary societies.The voluntary society was full of variety from its own connotation to the visible expression. This paper focuses on the lots of the voluntary societies of three towns—Blackburn, Bolton and Preston, according to that of the activity purpose and social function as well as commonly used classification standard, put them into five categories such as the economic societies, political organizations, cultural associations, charitable organizations and religious communities, and to give a picture of the development and prosperity of them.Although these societies were diverse in their form, size and purpose, they had some basic similarities and common characteristics of the organization form. From the micro level, this paper is to make a detailed study of the internal structure, membership qualification limit status, economic status and occupation, economic management mechanism and self-management way of the societies. Try to reveal the organizational management mode, outline a dimensional construct, and understand the basis of self-discipline and autonomy of the voluntary societies.The important contribution of voluntary societies to the complex industrial society and urbanization was for the middle class provided available free choice of a way to the city life, it offered a form of cooperation and unity for the individual action of the highly differentiated, mobile, fragmented and diverse society. This paper is to investigate that the middle class carried out the social responsibilities from charity, culture identity and political participation and social governance aspects, as well as analyze the characteristics of the middle class voluntary associations as the foundations of democracy identity.Civil society needs political state just as the political state needs to the civil society which has already formed the dialectical relationship between the two. In terms of historical context of Britain, civil society in19th century Britain was enshrined by the state that protected it with laws and with main force, otherwise it could not exist as a form of social structure. Therefore, this paper will research the democratic value and significance of the middle class voluntary society from the aspect of theory. Through the analysis of the checks and balances political structures between the sound and perfect political power, and also of the improve relationship between the socialization of power and the social fabric, consequently, I think that the voluntary association was the key factor that formed the interactive relationship based on the moderate separation of civil society and political state, and the moderate separation and positive interaction of two was the foundation of the British social and political stability.On the basis of the above analysis, I think that the autonomy, self-discipline, democracy and open association culture is a kind of democratic participation culture in the practice. It advocates the personal freedom under the democracy, and hopes to unite harmoniously the personal freedom and public value. The middle class through the association culture condenses personal strength, to ensure that the ability of the freedom to participate and maintain civil society, and to form a tension balance of state power, consequently, such a culture paved the way for a stable open liberal democracy in the19th century Britain.