The industrial revolution is the historical period, which marks the shift from rural and agrarian society to the industrialized and mechanized system. The transformation from home-based production with basic tools to developed machinery and mass production began in England in 1760. The revolution was witnessed in two phases.
The first industrial revolution lasted from 1760 to around 1840. The first phase identified the use of better machinery, water power and steam engine in industrial production. The evolution of textile industry enhanced the growth and employment in the economy. The second phase began in 1840 till 1890 (Kenneth E Hendrickson). This phase concentrated more use of metal, plastics, a new source of energy, etc.
In a wholesome, the industrial revolution initiated drastic changes in attitudes, social structure, family structure, population level, growth rates, and production mechanisms. The basic features of industrial revolution are the increased use of iron and steel, use of coal and petroleum in production, the development of new machineries, new working style in factories rather than in homes, progresses in transportation and communication sector, and the rigorous application of science in the industrial sector.
The rise of the industrial revolution was triggered in Britain due to no trade barriers, peace and stability, rule of law and being a capitalist economy. The economy also has extensive coastline which supports the waterway transportation. The power of Britain over its colonies, as well as the availability of key resources and financial ability, flourished the revolution. Britain had an immense deposit of coal and iron ore.
The major sectoral changes were witnessed in textiles, steam power and iron industry. In the textile industry, the development started with roller spinning machine which later advanced to the spinning frame. This enabled to develop 100% cotton cloth in Britain. This transformation alone developed cotton farming by inventing cotton gin to harvest cotton. The power loom also transformed the speed of cotton weaving. Later, the steam power was applied to textile industry.
Additionally, in the metal industry, the fuels such as wood were replaced by coal. This transitioned the economy for higher metal and steel production. The technology was adopted in lead and copper industry as well. The overall cost and the import of iron started to decline. The increased supply of iron and steel added to the resources for other hardware items as well as to make bridges, machine tools, etc.
In case of steam power, the major part of the energy was supplied by steam power over the small part of animals or human energy. The evolution of the steam power brought efficiency in the industry (Brenda  Stalcup).
Other reforms such as machinery tools for crafting, shaping, mining, chemical developments, paper machine, agricultural revolution, coal mining, etc. also took place at an extensive rate. The industrial revolution expanded the transportation industry towards roadways, railways, canal network, etc. This enabled not only for cheaper modes of transferring goods but also permitted in the quick spread of new innovations and ideas.
Communication became advanced after the development of the telegraph. The banking and stock market develop during the end of 18th century. This fostered the idea of Adam Smith to promote free enterprise without any government influence.
After the innovations in Britain, the ideas started to spread over various other parts of the world. In the continental Europe, the entrepreneurs started to move around the continent looking for better opportunities. The technologies were bought and adopted from Britain. Another country like Belgium adopted a similar model to that of Britain. However, France went through the French revolution, industrialization, and later renewal of growth. Germany had a massive chemical industry. The technologies on the railway were previously adopted from Britain, but they quickly mastered the skill required to operate it. Slowly, the progressive revolution spread to USA and Japan. During the early 20th century, US had become the leading industrial nation.
The society redefined in various other ways such as improvement in agricultural sector which increased food production, enhancement in economic structure, political changes with new policies matching industrial society, progress towards urbanized society, increased population and standard of living, cultural changes with skilled labour and use of machinery and psychological advancement in the ability of mass production (Peter N Stearns).
The industrial revolution brought in a mixture of both benefits and costs. The constructive effect of the industrial revolution was the urban, and rural areas became intertwined with each other due to the migration of workers and resources. There was the development of other sectors i.e. manufacturing and later service other than agricultural activities. The development of transportation and communication led to a better living standard. There occurred international relationship for resources and exchange of ideas and technology. The production increased drastically with higher employment opportunities.
In the initial phase of the revolution, there were no regulations to control the textile industry. The workers lacked bargaining power for higher wages. The industrial era means the factors of production were handled by the owners. The owners could exploit the labours in order to enhance the profit level. The pay level was lower with poor working condition. The sole motive was to reduce the cost and to earn a profit. The owners set the terms and conditions of work. As the technologies developed, the lower efficiency of worker compared to the machinery led to unemployment and underemployment. The lives of workers transformed from migration from rural to urban areas. The workers were engaged in work most of the time and could not improve their working style due to lack of leisure. The migration led to small towns becoming large cities. The cities became the source of wealth due to the concentration of labours and industries. The people’s life was also affected negatively by poor sanitation, disease, lack of nutrition, etc. Child labour was also an important of industrial revolution since the power loom replaced labour and owners used unskilled labour to reduce cost. The integrity of the family was dismantled. The labour underwent specialization and women struggled for survival with high infant death rate. The society was clearly segregated into “haves” and “have nots”. The capitalist society motivated by profit did not focus on negative externalities that were affecting environment.
In a nutshell, an industrial revolution not only divided the society into rich and poor but also the majority of the people were in the middle class. The work was done all by machines with less influence of human effort. The dependence on machines and material goods enhanced. The drastic reduction in death tolls due to better facilities also encouraged higher population growth rates. Later, due to the deteriorating working conditions and health scenarios, the struggle for survival led to the formation of trade unions by the workers to increase their power in the workplace.
Thus, the existing society of developed nation is like a result of the industrial revolution which led to the revolution of an agricultural society to manufacturing and industrial society.
Bibliography
Hendrickson, Kenneth E. The encyclopedia of the industry. , 2015. Print. 2015.
Stalcup, Brenda The Industrial Revolution. San Diego. 2015.
Stearns, Peter N. The industrial revolution in w. Boulder, Colo. 1993.
