The Industrial Revolution: Origins, Impact, and Social Changes
The Industrial Revolution
Concept: The Industrial Revolution is a historical process that involves changing an economy based on agriculture into one in which industrial activities dominate, thanks to the advance of new technologies and scientific discoveries, as well as by developing new economic theories such as liberalism. The origin was in England in the eighteenth century.
Factors that explain their origin:
The origin was in England
- Physical: abundant hydropower and mineral resources
- Economic: growth in agricultural productivity and increased business
- Social: scientific and medical advances encourage the growth of the population; this leads to increased agricultural and industrial products.
- Political and ideological: political system of constitutional monarchy (the king reigns but does not govern), economic theory of economic liberalism.
Growing industrial sectors:
- Textile industry: workshop owners invest in new machines to spin and weave, increasing production, which in turn leads to employers having more benefits and craft workshops being driven into bankruptcy, low wages for workers, and reduced raw material prices.
- Steel industry: developed dramatically by the introduction of railways and the demand for textile machinery and agriculture, was characterized by the blast furnace charge of transforming iron ore into steel and iron sheets.
- Transportation: the transport revolution was caused by the application of steam navigation and railways. The railroad boosted freight and passenger traffic and mining and steel. It held services in large cities to rural areas.
The capitalist economy
The industrial revolution changed the old feudal agricultural economy of origin, by the capitalist economy. This economy is characterized by most of the activities following the guidelines of supply and demand.
Economic liberalism:
Author of the theory: Adam Smith
Theory of the capitalist economy:
- The prosperity of the nation comes from the enrichment and prosperity of its citizens.
- Liberty Market
- The market works on supply and demand
- Enhancing competition among each other
- The state should provide a free market.
New business organization:
Organization under the old regime
- Guilds prevented free competition, tight control of working hours, wages, parts, etc.
- Workshops: workers had few rudimentary technologies, the entire manufacturing process, and the product is sold in the shop.
Organization in the capitalist system
- The money needed to launch the company must seek partners, and each partner arises. SA owns a number of shares that makes that accompanied the exchange or market values.
- The owner is responsible for the administration and management of the company.
- Abolition of guilds
- Ways to partner companies: Poster is an agreement to share the market monopoly. Trust (1 company). Holding business corporation formed by several companies.
- Mass Production
- The factories do not sell their products to the public, if not in distribution.
Class Society
The French Revolution ended the inequality that led to the equality of all citizens before the law and ended the estate society because society is class.
The class society groups the citizens based on their economic level. There are differences of rank, and society is structured:
- Dominant classes: are the old nobility and gentry. The nobility derives its income from their agricultural extension (not lost, while increasing productivity) and occupies key positions in society. The gentry were engaged in business; there are common links between them.
- Middle classes: there is a diverse group, merchants, craftsmen, professional occupations. These classes are closer to the working class and express their difference with the proletariat in housing, education, hobbies….
- Classes workers: are peasants and proletariat (industrial workers). The level of peasant life is very low, and the proletariat grew as factories grew in cities.
The disappearance of the guilds with liberal legislation and population growth caused wages to fall and prices to rise, giving very poor living conditions to the proletariat.
Ideologies of the Labor Movement
The first protest action
The origin of the protests are the harsh living conditions of the proletariat (the proletariat are the factory workers) protesting low wages, excessive working hours, and lack of rights. The first stirrings of protest were:
- Luddism: that destroyed the new machines made in factories to which they are blamed for the growing unemployment and worker.
- Chartism: was a movement uniquely British bill of rights for all citizens without exception.
The failure of these movements was the disorganization of the workers and the lack of ideas that unite the workers.