Industrial revolution

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Emergence and Background

Beginning of geographical discoveries and direct sea routes opened new avenues of trade and commerce. It formed the bedrock of Industrial revolution as mismatch between demand and supply led to new innovative ways of enhancing production.

Second factor was emergence of capitalist ideology. Profit making became the core of all economic activities in Europe. Capitalists financed the voyages of sailors in search of new markets and new sources of raw material. New industries were also financed by capitalists.

New inventions were made which enhanced productivity many fold. Invention of Steam Power, Use of Mechanical Power instead of Man and Animal power changed the way production was done Hargreaves’s spinning mill, improvement of Arkwright and Crompton over that spinning mill. Invention of steam engine led to birth of Cotton Jenny, a much improved cotton weaver.

Factory production arrived as new mode of production as community or home workshop production failed to meet burgeoning demands.

Colonial quests led to discoveries of new cheap sources of raw materials and profitable dumping markets for finished products.

Faster means of communication, commoditification of labor with introduction of wage System, development of new sources of energy like coal, new durable materials like steel were the other supporting factors for the rise of Industrial Revolution.

Industrial Revolution in Britain

A number of factors contributed to Britain’s role as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. For one, it had great deposits of coal and iron ore, which proved essential for industrialization. Additionally, Britain was a politically stable society, as well as the world’s leading colonial power, which meant its colonies could serve as a source for raw materials, as well as a marketplace for manufactured goods.

As demand for British goods increased, merchants needed more cost-effective methods of production, which led to the rise of mechanization and the factory system.

There were many conducive factors. Britain had adequate capital which was accumulated through colonialism Disappearance of serfdom and ‘enclosure movement’ provided huge surplus agricultural labor which looked for employment and became source of cheap labor. (As Industrialization started, land became valuable commodity. Big landlords started snatching the land of small farmers and this was termed as ‘enclosure movement’). Britain was also rich with natural resources. Iron and coal proved twin pillars of Industrial Revolution and Britain was lucky to have them in close proximity. Britain also had a stable polity unlike Europe. It also had a strong navy – a symbol of military might. Inventions, capitalist ideology and communication were other factors.

Salient Features of Industrial Revolution

First feature is that, Britain was the epicenter of this revolution in 1750.

Secondly, it started from textile sector. Britain used to spent huge wealth on import of foreign clothes like Dhaka Muslin, Calicut Calico and so on leading to huge forex drain. So, textile industries became a natural choice to start with.

It was also a revolution in infrastructure which was necessary for spread of it. Railways, steam boats (reduced dependence on wind sails with heavier load), Macadamized roads (pucca roads named after its inventor Macadam), new form of communication like telegraph and penny post (now it was possible to send post in a mere penny) etc lead to new globalization.

It gave birth to ideology of mercantilism which viewed world resources as limited and merchants vied for each other in a ‘zero-sum game’

A process of new globalization started in which colonies were integrated in a highly subservient manner.

It also affected agriculture. Cropping patterns were changed. Staple food crops were replaced with cash crops like cotton, indigo, tea, opium etc.

Impact of Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution also had certain other fallouts which were not expected. There was also opposition to these new developments. Luddite movement was such an even which was a movement launched by workers who attacked machines as they feared that machines will replace manpower. This and other movements forced Industrialists to give a serious consideration to worker’s condition

I. Social Impact – new urban centers (like Manchester, Leeds), slums, nuclear family, urbanization, exploitation of women and children, new class formation

II. Economic Impact – birth of capitalism, transnational trade, cheap goods, ruin of handicrafts

III. Political Impact – colonialism gets a new fillip, new division of countries as developed and und-developed, Europeanization of different parts of world, reforms movement like Chartist Movement started. Unions also began to form. New movements like – Socialism, Marxism also trace their roots to Industrial Revolution. Child labor laws were formed as exploitation of children increased.

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND THE EMERGENCE OF CAPITALISM

 

The Industrial Revolution refers to the greatly increased output of machine-made goods that began in England during the 18th century. Before the Industrial Revolution, people wove textiles by hand. Beginning in the middle 1700s, machines did this and other jobs as well. The Industrial Revolution started in England and soon spread to Continental Europe and North America. It brought economic changes which took place in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries and completely transformed the European society. The Industrial Revolution brought about two main changes, viz. it replaced the domestic system by factory system and small scale production by mass production.

The Scientific & Technological Innovations, which made the Revolution Possible

Industrial revolution led to the rise of industrial capitalism and finance capitalism. Before the industrial revolution goods were produced at home with the help of simple and cheap tools which did not need much capital. But with the installation of big machines huge funds were needed and a class of capitalist made its appearance.

Steam Power: The invention of the use of steam was one of the most revolutionary discoveries which greatly facilitated the adoption of the machine methods of production. Prior to the discovery of the system power also machines were in use, but the progress was rather slow due to lack of good motive power. These machines were worked on water or wind-power

Iron and Steel: The introduction of steam-driven machinery also made it desirable that the wood machinery should be replaced by machinery made of some durable material, and thus usage of iron was a natural development. But as iron was not available in sufficient quantity an effort was made to increase its production through the use of cocking process. In 1829 Nelson invented a hot blast which made the use of raw coal, instead of coke, possible for the manufacture of iron. This invention greatly helped the growth of iron industry of Clyde.

Development of Coal Industry: The increasing use of steam power and iron and steel necessitated the development of coal industry. In fact the coal and the iron are the two foundations of the modern industrial society and a country lacking in either stands at a disadvantage.

Changes in Means of Communication: Between 1800 and 1820 about 200 miles of rail lines were in operation in Britain. They were mainly used to carry raw material. Efforts were also made to bring improvements in road and inland waterways. As a result of all these changes Britain came to have thousand of good roads which greatly reduced the transportation cost.

Textile Industry: By 1800, several major inventions had modernized the cotton industry. In the process one invention led to another.

Improvements in Engineering Techniques: The mechanical engineers particularly played an important role in the improvement of machinery as well as its efficient use. They made use of iron and steel in place of wood to create complex machinery.

Industrial Revolution and the emergence of Capitalism

IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Industrial revolution led to the rise of industrial capitalism and finance capitalism. Before the industrial revolution goods were produced at home with the help of simple and cheap tools which did not need much capital. But with the installation of big machines huge funds were needed and a class of capitalist made its appearance. However, with the passage of time the industrial operations grew still more complex and enormous funds were needed which could not be provided by the capi­talists from their individual resources. Therefore, they began to look to­wards investment bankers for these funds. This ushered in era of Finance Capital. Though the industrial revolution was majorly an economic phenomenon, it greatly affected the social and political life of the countries it was prevalent in.

Social Impacts: In the special sphere also the industrial revolution pro­duced far-reaching consequences. In the first place, the growth of factory system resulted in the growth of new cities. Workers shifted to places near the factories where they were employed. This resulted in the growth of a number of new cities like Leeds, Manchester, Burmingham and Sheffield in Britain, which soon became the centres of industry, trade and commerce. Secondly, the rise of cities was accompanied by the growth of slums. Before the advent of industrial revolution, the industry was scattered throughout the country. Artisans generally worked in their cottages or shops and were not entirely dependent on trade for their livelihood. They often combined manufacturing and agriculture.

Political Impact: In the political sphere also the industrial revolution had manifold impact. In the first place it led to colonization of Asia and Africa. Great Britain and other industrial countries of Europe began to look for new colonies which could supply them the necessary raw materials for feeding their industries and also serve as ready market for their finished industrial products. Therefore, the industrial countries carved out extensive colonial empires in the nineteenth century. In fact these countries added so much territory to their empire that one historian has described it as “the greatest land grab movement in the history of the world.” It is well known that colonialism produced adverse effects on the local people and resulted in their uthless exploitation. However, it cannot be denied that it also paved the way for the industrialization of these territories because the European colonizers set up certain industries in these areas.

Industrial Revolution and Capitalism

Industrialization led to the decline of feudalism in Europe. A new system of society called Capitalism arose in its place. It was an economic system in which the means of production and distribution were privately owned and operated for profit. This system gave rise to two new social classes one was that of the factory owners who owned the factories and employed and paid wages to factory workers. They also controlled the sale of goods and their main aim was to make maximum profits. They controlled the sale of goods and their main aim was to make maximum profits. They controlled the ‘capital’ or the money and, hence, were called capitalists. They were a prosperous group of people and led luxurious lives. The other class comprised of workers who worked in factories. They lived in great hardship and were exploited by the factory owners. Imperialism is the policy of extending political and economic control over a weak country by a powerful one. The phenomena gained strength in the nineteenth century AD, largely due to the Industrial Revolution. A market for manufactured goods and sources for obtaining cheap raw materials for producing more goods were desperately needed. Areas to invest surplus capital were also required. This led the European nations to acquire colonies in the politically and militarily weak countries of Asia and Africa. These countries could easily be conquered by the powerful Europeans. They provided a good opportunity for the investment of surplus capital. Besides, Asia and Africa were well provided with natural resources and had a huge potential to absorb finished goods.

The Industrial Revolution was a mixed blessing. It had both advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

  1. Centre of economic life shifted from the villages to cities and towns where the factories were situated.
  2. Urban (cities) and rural (villages) life became dependant upon one another. Isolated life of self-sufficient villages came to an end.
  3. Men became free to develop their capabilities in areas other than farming.
  4. It brought countries and people together. There was an international awareness among people because developments in one country influenced the others.
  5. The aristocracy and nobility with their feudal ideas were replaced by the newly rich middle class capitalists (bourgeoisie) who also became politically powerful.
  6. Better transport, communications and mechanized goods made life comfortable for man.

 

Disadvantages.

  1. Cities became crowded, smoky, with problems of slums, housing, sanitation, accidents and epidemics.
  2. Women and child labour was badly exploited.
  3. Workers suffered from long working hours, low wages, and unemployment, unsafe conditions of work, with no rights to vote strike or form trade unions.
  4. Society, became divided into rich and poor, the ‘Haves’ and the ‘Have- Nots’.
  5. It led to wars of imperialism and colonization.

 

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