3. Social and Economic History

• The role of urbanization in transforming cultural values and social relationships
• The shift in social structures from hierarchical orders to modern social classes: the changing distribution of wealth and poverty
• The influence of sanitation and health care practices on society; food supply, diet, famine, disease, and their impact
• The development of commercial practices and their economic and social impact
• Changing definitions and attitudes toward mainstream groups and groups characterized as "the other"
• The origins, development, and consequences of industrialization
• Changes in the demographic structure of Europe, their causes and consequences
• Gender roles and their influence on work, social structure, family structure, and interest group formation
• The growth of competition and interdependence in national and world markets
• Private and state roles in economic activity
• Development of racial and ethnic group identities

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