Impact of Industrialization on Population Growth and Urbanization
The Effects of Industrialization on the Population and Cities: The Industrial Revolution was a process of social change. Throughout the 19th century, it accelerated population growth and saw huge migrations to cities and colonies. Rapid Population Growth in the 19th Century: The increase in population during the second half of the 18th century intensified in the 19th century at an unprecedented pace. In Europe, there were over 400 million people by 1900, marking the time when the European population had the highest share in world history (24.7% of the total). The reasons for this demographic growth included a sharp decline in mortality, driven by new medical advances and continuing improvements in hygiene and nutrition. For example, improved services such as sewerage, garbage collection, and water supply contributed to prolonged life expectancy in Western Europe, which increased from 35 to 50 years between 1800 and 1900. At the same time, the mortality rate for infants decreased. The second leading cause of population growth was improved economic prospects, which led couples to marry younger (under 25 years) and have more children. However, in some countries like France, birth control began to be practiced. Migrations to the Cities: The Industrial Revolution accelerated the mechanization of work and concentrated agricultural production in cities. Many peasants had to move to cities in search of work. As a result, there was an intense process of urbanization in Europe during the 19th century: in 1800, only 10% of Europeans lived in cities, but by the late 19th century, this number rose to 40%. The number and size of cities grew astonishingly. In 1800, there was no city in the world with a population exceeding one million, and in Europe, there were only 23 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. By the end of the century, there were 12 cities that exceeded one million, and Europe had 135 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Many towns grew around factories, such as Manchester and Liverpool, while others developed due to trade, like Marseille. The migration of peasants from France was rapid and unplanned, leading to overcrowded and unsafe living conditions. People were crammed into poor-quality housing in downtown areas and near factories, often without utilities (water, electricity, transport) and living in contaminated environments. In the second half of the 19th century, new neighborhoods were planned with good-quality housing, organized streets, and various services, where the bourgeoisie and middle classes lived. Migrations from Europe to Other Continents: The cities could not absorb all the peasants. Between 1800 and 1924, 60 million Europeans migrated to other continents. New means of transport favored these migrations. Transoceanic migrations occurred in waves: up to 1870, the majority of migrants were British and Scandinavians, followed by Central Europeans, and by the end of the century, the largest groups were Italians, Spaniards (almost 4.5 million), Greeks, and Turks. European emigrants primarily went to America, especially Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and particularly the United States, which received almost 60% of the emigrants. Australia and New Zealand were also important destinations.