Nasty Side Effects of Urbanization
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Urbanization primarily took place in seven cities: five river valleys in the eastern hemisphere and two in the western hemisphere. Although cities fostered enormous strides in human progress, a number of commentators have also pointed out a darker side to urbanization and its effects. One well-respected modern commentator, Lewis Mumford, has argued that, as a permanent curse of urban life was the early union of power, religion, and the continuous warfare. Some nasty side effects of urbanization that will be discussed is the establishment of oppressive class distinctions, institutionalizing the suppression, put down, of women, and the isolation of city from countryside. First, in the early urbanizations there were different occupational categories as well as different classes. At the top of the hierarchy there were king and priests who somehow held great power and wealth. The kings and the priests formed an exclusive category of "haves" vs. "have nots." After the top level, the kings and priests, there were the middle classes consisting of architects, merchants, farmers, etc. Underneath all of this, on the bottom level, there were the slaves...