Industrial Revolution: Causes and Social Impact
Industrial Revolution: A Historical Period of Transformation
The Industrial Revolution was a historical period between the mid-18th and early 19th centuries. Great Britain first, and then the rest of Europe, experienced the greatest set of socioeconomic, technological, and cultural transformations in human history.
Stages
- Stage 1 (1750-1840)
- Stage 2 (1880-1914)
The application of science and technology allowed the invention of machines that improved production processes.
Causes
- Agricultural Revolution: A progressive increase in agricultural production thanks to investments from landowners in new technologies and farming systems, in addition to improvements in fertilizer use.
- The Development of Commercial Capital: Machines were applied to transport and communication, initiating a massive transformation. Now, the relations between employers and employees are solely work-related and aimed at obtaining benefits.
- Socio-demographic Changes: The modernization of agriculture allowed population growth due to improved nutrition. There were also advances in medicine and hygiene; hence, the population grew. There was also a migration from the countryside to the city because the need for labor in agriculture declined while demand for labor grew in the cities.
The first revolution was characterized by a change in the working tools of the artisan to the steam engine, driven by the energy of coal.
Urban Proletariat
As a result of the agricultural revolution and the rural exodus, there was a massive migration of peasants to the cities. The old farmer became an industrial worker. The industrial city increased its population as a result of the natural growth of its inhabitants and the arrival of this new human contingent. The shortage of rooms was the first problem suffered by this socially marginalized population. They had to live in cramped spaces without minimal conditions, comfort, or hygiene. This was coupled with long working hours, which reached more than 14 hours a day, involving men, women, and children, all for poverty wages.
Industrial Bourgeoisie
In contrast to the industrial proletariat, the social and economic power of big business owners was strengthened, thus reinforcing the capitalist economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production and price regulation by the market, according to supply and demand.
Monopoly
A monopoly is a situation of legal privilege or market failure in which, for an industry that has a product, a good, a resource, or a particular service, there is a producer (monopolist) that holds great market power and is the only one in the industry that possesses it.
Public Corporation
A public corporation is one whose holders are so by virtue of an equity participation through securities or shares.
Trust
In the economic field, a trust is a concentration of companies under the same management.
Holding
A holding is a company that controls the activities of other companies through the ownership of all or a significant portion of its shares.
Luddite Movement
The Luddite movement was a labor movement that gained momentum in England from 1811. Its actions were based on spontaneous and disorganized revolts, frequently attacking the means of production.