I decided to look at the Industrial Revolution because I believe that it is the greatest cause of change in the last two centuries. The Industrial Revolution not only changed the dynamic of families but that of society itself. This is because people went from self-contained entities to living in large communities. As families were no longer able to survive farming the land or supplying a skill set. They were forced to go to the cities in order to find factory work. One there they would discover that both the living and conditions were abhorrent. This was because the factory owners only cared about their profits and the landlords also sought to profit from the influx of people arrive to the city. Many landlords would charge outrages prices. Sometimes a tenant would be lucky enough to be able to rent their own apartment, but many times there would be two or three families living in a one-bedroom apartment. Many of these apartments were not fit for habitation, but the residents had no choice because of how crowded the cities were due to the people having to come to work at the factories. I have always been interested in how the shift in the mindset of the people from leisurely farmers to subservient and robotic workers and how that is still in play today. Due to the fear that people have of losing their employment.
Industrialization began in the later part of the 18th century in Britain. It soon moved throughout Europe. The United States and Japan in the 19th century. Industrialization had a major impact on society. This is because it not only changed the lived. This is because of the changes that were implemented in regards to family time as well as personal time. It also changed the purpose for having children and increased the power of the state when it came to the production of military supplies. Industrialized societies soon gained an advantage over countries that rely predominately on agriculture.
During the 1700’s many European countries were becoming profitable from international trade. This opened up the market for hard to obtain products. Which helped to increase the domestic earnings of said country. The desire of individuals to obtain new kinds of spices, perfumes, clothing, etc. was a major contributor to the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Industrialization is the change of a society’s economic structure from that of one that is based primarily on agriculture to one that is dependent on the increase of manufactured goods and food items. Prior to industrialization goods were produced by hand. These goods were made by individuals who were highly skilled in their craft. These people had control over the final product. The end results were products that were uniquely made rather than mass produced. The only downside to things being made by hand was that there was always a wait to receive one’s product and the prices were high. This meant that there was a limit to what consumers were able to buy which made the money that the producer earned quite low.
Industrialization increased output and made goods more accessible. This does not mean that the products were better than those that were produced in one’s home. According to Stearns a number of Historians agree that the quality of work produced in factories was diminished compared to that of the artisan of the individual. This was because factory owners wanted to increase their profits which meant that they forced workers to work at a faster pace. This was done under the watchful eye of the factory supervision, which had an adverse effect on the quality of the merchandise.
The Industrial Revolution happened over a period of about two hundred years. New machinery and methods of production operated alongside that of previous methods. This led to the rise of communication, marketing and railroad expansion. The Enlightenment was a major contributor to the rise of Industry. Advocates of the movement believed and argued that hard work brought about material wealth. Governments thought that supporting these new technologies would help to increase their standing in the international community. The government limited craft guilds and built canals, railways and roads in order to facilitate easier transfer of products.
The rise of industrialization altered many areas of life. First there was the change in how products were created. The steam machines allowed manufacturers the ability to create more product in less time. The steam driving machines were also integral in the increased availability of coal and iron, which were also vital to the creation and operation of the operation of the steam powered machinery.
Other ways that the Industrial Revolution changed society was that workers were now concentrated around the wheel or engine. This meant that it was easier for the workers to be supervised. They also had each worker specialize in a specific part as they felt that this helped increase production. Many artisans felt that this new form of production was affecting their prosperity. This gave rise to the Luddite Movement.
The effect of Industrialization on agriculture is a little difficult to ascertain. This is because while the rise of industry meant that small business owners and artisans were no longer making any money and were forced to move to the larger cities in order to find jobs. Due to this many families shifted from being rurally agricultural based to being consigned to the city. The lack of famers and the need for food to be transferred to the cities meant that new technologies in farming and transportations had to be implemented. This led to new crops being grown, additional lands being opened up due to alternative draining methods, and the creation of high caloried foods.
The next shift in agriculture began around the 1830’s. Farmers now access to things like fertilizer, larger plows, mechanical reapers, and food processing equipment. The shift to industrial agriculture was strengthened by the transportation system that was in place due to the newly built canals and railways. This allowed the United States to profit greatly from the export of agricultural goods to Great Britain.
Industrialization had a number of social impacts outside of the loss of artisan guilds and farms. The majority of the population now lived in the city. This meant that there was a shift from living in an area where there was space to living in a crowded city where people sometimes lived two or three families in a room.
The family structured changed also, as it was necessary for all members of a family to work. There were also sharp social divides outside of the home as factory owners got wealthier, while their employees because increasingly more destitute. Many workers went on strikes as a result of the unsafe conditions, poor wages and long hours that they were forced to work. Workers no longer felt a sense of pride or connection with their work. Part of this was because many workers were regulated to just one task. Due the long hours and monotonous work many employees’ chose not to seek advancement but rather raises and shorter hours. Family life became more tense as the need to work long hours became more vital to survival. This led to people disregarding their social lives and leisurely activities. This most likely led to a rise in stress related health problems
There are not many places on Earth that has not been affected by Industrialization. The affects generally depend on the country and when Industrialization was implemented. In Great Britain industrialization was successful because it had originally been based on small companies and inventors. the industry of Britain began to falter with the rise of the corporations in the late 19th century. The industry of the United States was highly dependent on immigrant labor. This led to unsavory working conditions for many factory workers. These conditions resulted in severe injuries, dismemberments and sometimes even death. After the Triangle Fire is New York City the United States passed a number of laws to provide workers with safer working environments.
The world is different as a result of the Industrial Revolution because there is an ever increasing wealth gap between the rich and the poor. Currently one to five percent of the world’s population owns ninety-nine percent of the world’s wealth. This is because government do not do enough to make large corporations pay their employees fair wages. The reason for this is because many businesses would leave and go to countries where the labor is cheaper. Despite the wealth gap there are a number of positive things that happened because of the rise of Industry. One of these was the invention of electricity, now of course Edison may have discovered electricity irregardless but the Industrial Revolution probably played a key part in doing so. The Industrial Revolution is also the reason that we have goods readily available to us without having to grow our own food or make our own clothes. Our travel options would be limited to horses and buggies and walking because cars and later airplanes were created as a result of the manufacturing growth that occurred during the Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution was the beginning of the factories. Factories are the suppliers of everything in society from automobiles to cereal. Without the factories to mass produce items we could have been denied access to things like electronics and the latest fashions. So in conclusion there are many more reasons why I believe that the Industrial Revolution had the greatest impact on society, but it is mostly because without the advancements that we made during the Industrial Revolution we would not have the lives that we enjoy today.
Works Cited
Stearns, Peter. "Global Consequences Of The Industrial Revolution - Nccmn2x4". Sites.google.com. N.p., 2002. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.
Stearns, Peter N. World History In Brief. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2005. Print.
