Industrilization
IndustrilizationDuring the 1750�s to 1850�s the Industrial Revolution was transforming economic life in the West. This began in England during much of the eighteenth century. The Industrial Revolution was characterized by unprecedented economic growth, the factory system of production, and the use of artificially powered machines for transportation and mechanical operations. In the wake of the Industrial Revolution came great social changes. The middle and working classes both grew in number, but the working class was affected the most. Whether the working class benefited from industrialization is a matter of debate. Clearly they bore the burdens of urban social problems. They had to face the overcrowding of slums, poor sanitation, insufficient social services, and a host of other related problems. Overall the economic changes brought about by industrial development physically transformed Europe. Greater levels of production were achieved, and more wealth was created than ever before. Industrialization simultaneously created unprecedented advancement as well as unprecedented hardships and social problems.
The editor of the source book Western Civilization cited many works from chapter 22 �Industrialization and Social Change� to further the explanation of how economic and social aspects were dealt with. The works cited raise many questions as to how economic and social aspects affected the Industrial Revolution. Why did industrialization occur first in England and how did it differ from areas that were relatively advanced economically? The most popular area of interest however, was the effect The Industrial Revolution had on the working class directly. What were the conditions like in factories? How did industrialization affect the overall lifestyle of these people? Did the standard of living improve or diminish as a result of the Industrial Revolution? These are just some of the questions I will address using the eight or more categories of analysis in this paper. These questions also contribute to the whole underlying theme of chapter 22 as to how Industrialization affected the social classes, especially the working class as well as future centuries.
The editor shows the importance of the matter and contrary evidence of the Industrial Revolution through a few of the secondary sources of the text. France was both a prosperous country and economically advanced. Other countries like Belgium and The Netherlands also possessed certain economic advantages over England and did not industrialize first. The first question the reader asks is why exactly did the Industrial Revolution begin in England? We learn this through Robert L. Heilbroner�s work �The Making of Economic Society: England the first to industrialize�. �The first of these factors was simply that England was relatively wealthy�(131). The reader learns that through a century of successful exploration, slave trade, piracy war, commerce, and the behavior of the population that these are the reasons why England became the richest nation in the world. �Second, England was the scene of the most successful and thoroughgoing transformation of feudal society into commercial society�(131). �Third, England was the locus of a unique enthusiasm for science and engineering. With...
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