The public sphere led to the rise of the modern nation state and increased the capitalism. The new state in its consolidation of the public power brought to the private realm of the society that is nondependent on the state. The capitalism contributed immensely to the increase of the society’s powers and the same to the society’s self-awareness together with the importance of changing the exchange of the information (Brereton 23). The perspective of the increase of the public sphere was the economic and social transformation largely grouping under the effects of the industrial revolution.
The industrial revolution ranges from the expansion of the economy, the intensive urbanization, the increase in population and making better the relations as compared to the stagnation of the past century. The increased efficiency in the production methods and communication increased the variety of goods available at lower prices to consumers. However, the colonial experience exposed the European society to many heterogeneous cultures. This broke down the cultural system barriers, the religious affiliation, geographical fields, and gender differences. Concisely, the social milieu was developed to bring the public sphere into existence. The public sphere has ever since undergone the development to have both the rich and the poor participating in such fields as free Masonic and coffee houses.
A rough portrayal of the public sphere being independent from the government is disputed in the cases where the government sponsored institutions, and in the areas of the government’s involvement into the debate along with personal cases using the public venues to facilitate the status quo (Bloom 22). The public sphere is an institution of the highest degree of involving all individuals. Although, a look at many public institutions of the Enlightenment, shows that the public sphere was open to the relative classes of people. The public sphere of the enlightenment period, for instance, excluded women and the people of the lower classes.
Indeed, the satire of intellectuals brought the considerable developments of the cultural and philosophical fields among other fields in the Enlightenment period.
