In the 1840s the increased industrialization of France created an atmosphere for the rise of the proletariat (working class). As power was displaced from the merchant bourgeoisie to the industrial bourgeoisie, urbanization occurred in cities and towns. Le Creusot went from a population of 9,000 to 25,000 and in Paris the working class now made up over two francs a day for thirteen hours of work, which was nothing they could survive with. The proletariat soon tried to organize unions which would lead to bloody confrontations with the government. Although all of these hardships were something that affected people's life, artists like Monet and Van Gogh made the people happy and forget about these times. The artists captured the wonderful nature that they all missed.