Transcript LESSON EIGHTEEN - Middle School World History | MSH

LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
FOUR IMPORTANT
DEFINITIONS: #1
Medieval: Relating to the Middle Ages.
The Middle Ages are often dated from the
fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th
century C.E. to the beginning of the
Renaissance in the 15th century.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
FOUR IMPORTANT
DEFINITIONS: #2
Guild: A business group formed by
workers in the same occupation to
promote their interests. Guilds were
common in medieval Europe between
the 11th and 16th centuries. Carpenters,
weavers, painters, goldsmiths, hat
makers, and many other types of
workers formed guilds.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
FOUR IMPORTANT
DEFINITIONS # 3
Specialization: A situation where people
produce a narrower range of goods and
services than they consume. Guilds
involved specialization, since guild
workers only produced one type of
product. Specialization allows people to
increase their productivity.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
FOUR IMPORTANT
DEFINITIONS # 4
Productivity: The productivity of a
worker refers to the output for a worker
in a certain time period, such as an hour
or a day.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
HOW GUILDS WERE
ORGANIZED: Apprentices
An apprentice was a young person (most
often male) who worked for a guild master
while learning a trade. Apprentices often
began at age 12 and were given room and
board at the master’s house, but earned
no money. Apprenticeships could last for
2–7 (or more) years.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
HOW GUILDS WERE
ORGANIZED: Journeymen
After finishing the apprenticeship, the
worker could become a journeyman.
Journeymen, or day laborers, were paid
wages by the day while working in the
trade.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
HOW GUILDS WERE
ORGANIZED: Masters
A master (or master craftsman) was a full
member of the guild and could start his own
business.
To become a master and a full member of the
guild, journeymen sometimes had to produce a
“masterpiece” in their trade. If the masterpiece
was accepted by the guild members, they could
vote to accept the journeyman as a master in the
guild.
It was an honor to be a guild member. Some
masters were chosen to be inspectors to make
sure that other guild members’ products were of
a high standard or quality.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
SOME PURPOSES OF GUILDS
• Provided training for apprentices to learn
to make the product.
• Provided day labor and wages for
journeymen.
• Set standards for the quality of the goods
produced.
• Established a monopoly and restricted
competition in the trade occupation.
- A monopoly is when there is only one seller of a product.
If a guild had a monopoly, it could set a higher price than
it could with competition.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
SOME PURPOSES OF GUILDS
• Gained influence over local governments
to be able to promote the interests of the
guild members.
• Provided for the families of guild members
in case of illness or death.
• Encouraged religious living following
Christian practices.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY