Panneau 1 The Position of Agriculture in the Early 19th Century

The Position of Agriculture in the Early 19th Century
In the 19th century, the Luxembourg Agricultural and Horticultural Association of the Grand Duchy was committed to the modernization of agriculture. It published the annual „Der Luxemburger Bauernfreund,“ organized exhibitions rewarding the best seeds and the latest agricultural machines. The association called for the introduction of agricultural courses as well as practical work in school gardens. It also advocated for the formation of cooperatives for the purchase of agricultural machinery. In 1883, the agricultural school was founded in Ettelbruck.

Social Problems of Urban Development
The worker class emerged, particularly in cities and industrial areas. The population consisted of entrepreneurs, civil servants, and a rapidly growing working class. Until 1919, low-income earners were excluded from voting rights.

Quality of life for successful entrepreneurs was defined by a villa inspired by a castle within a private park. Terraced houses with front gardens and courtyards were intended for middle-class citizens. The front garden was dedicated to flower cultivation, while the courtyard, shielded from view, had a purely functional purpose, including a stable, a shed, and a vegetable garden. Defining workers‘ housing would prove to be one of the greatest challenges.

The working class was generally pushed to the outskirts of cities and largely left to fend for itself. Wages were often meager and barely enough to support a family. Irregular working hours, child labor, and the lack of education frequently led to alcoholism and deep dissatisfaction, resulting in social unrest.

The first labor movements demanded concrete improvements in workers’ living conditions. Various responses to these social issues emerged, including socialist and communist ideas, as well as the Catholic Church’s social encyclical Rerum Novarum.