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The development of capitalism caused a reinvention of ways in which men “became” men. Formerly, urban manhood was grasped through deferential apprenticeships, where young men obeyed a master, who taught them a livable trade in return for their labor and obedience. However, the rise of impersonal, mass markets made this system - which was built on personal relationships that took years to develop - untenable. Young men chasing wealth and status no longer saw apprenticeship as a path to manhood, but as flying in the face of it. Instead, they shopped around for jobs, negotiating their own benefits and salaries, and quitting when it suited them. This growing trend was abhorred by older generations and established interests, who encouraged young men to show loyalty to their employer, and practice good character traits in order to build the same types of economic relationships that had existed in early modern capitalism. As stated, though, the impersonal nature of a more modern capitalism made this older system redundant, and eventually ensured that the only virtues young men thought worth practicing were industry and self-reliance. (Nick Thodal)
