"The Way People Get Their Living is Their Social Outlook"- Marx
The Industrial Revolution was the catalyst for terms such as working, middle and upper class as people gathered in urban environments looking for employment. The working class were the factory workers, the middle class managed the factories, whilst the upper class owned the factories.
In the days of Victorian Britain, class was determined by power, authority and wealth. The old prejudices caused the middle and working class to be deprived of a voice in government, which meant they were unable to improve the quality of their lives.
Even further back was the Feudal class system, which was established by William the Conquerer and the Normans. Via this system, you were unable to move up the social system. You became what your father was before you.
Due to the progression in our cultural, social and economic positions I believe that attitudes towards class will have changed because our situations are completely different to what they were in the past.
