Industrial Revolution Started in Britain

Industrial Revolution started in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th centuries but gradually spread to other European countries, North America and the rest of the world. Major developments took place in areas such as agriculture, mining, transportation and manufacturing which in turn, had a profound impact on the socioeconomic and cultural climate throughout the world. In the period between the accession of George III and that of his son, William IV, England went through a series of important changes. As far as agriculture in Britain, areas that for centuries had been cultivated as open fields were hedged or fenced, and hamlets turned into towns. Infrastructure developed quickly, i.e. highroads were made, and navigable reaches of the Mersey, Trent, Severn, Thames, Forth and Clyde were joined together by threads of still water. In the North the first iron rails were laid down for the new locomotives, and steam packets began to ply on the estuaries and the narrow seas (More 9). Thesis: The technological developments associated with the Industrial Revolution had a strong impact on both social and cultural circumstances chiefly by a sharp increase in population, and the workers' shift from rural to urban areas.

The topic of the Industrial Revolution cannot be tackled without discussing the aspect which distinguishes this age from its predecessors, i.e. The rapid growth of population. Changes occurred in the structure of society. The number of people increased vastly with the proportion of children rising due to the increase in the number of births. The growth of these communities shifted the balance of population from the South and East to the North and Midlands, and many Irish workers came to work in England. Moreover, many Englishmen and women left the countryside and came to towns and cities and integrated into the labor force of factories. This shift was also caused by the fact that beginning with the 18th century, the number of jobs in rural areas decreased, leaving many people unemployed because rural population had risen sharply as food was no longer scarce, and death rates declined due to fewer wars and plagues. At the same time, nonetheless, many small farms disappeared because of new legislation which required farmers to put fences or hedges around their fields, and many small farmers could not afford to enclose their fields. As a consequence, they were forced to sell out to larger landholders, and look for work. There was what we might call a vicious circle which forced ex-farmers to move to towns and cities and try to make a living working in manufacturing or other branches of the industry. This way, work became more and more specialized and new forms of skill developed whereas some old ones were lost. However, what was most important during this process was the fact that labor became more mobile and as a direct consequence, the quality of life improved (Ashton 21).

As far as statistics, it is interesting to note that careful estimates have been put together by social scientists based on the numbers of burials and christenings during the period in question. These figures show that around 1700, there were approximately five and a half million people in England and Wales, a number which reached six and a half million in 1750. The first census which was taken in 1801 showed that the total population had risen to nine millions, and by 1831, it had reached fourteen million people. In the second half of the eighteenth century, population had thus increased by 40 per cent, and in the first three decades of the following century, by more than 50 per cent (Stearns 13). For Great Britain, the figures are around eleven million people in 1801 and sixteen and a half million in 1831 (Ibid).

New manufacturing towns and cities grew dramatically especially thanks to their proximity to coalfields which ensured a constant supply of fuel to the factories. Factories needed to be close to sources of power because infrastructure did not allow power to be distributed very far throughout the country. The names of British factory cities would soon spread around the world symbolizing the peak of industrialization: Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham and especially Manchester. In order to get a better image of the city's growth and development, we will turn to statistics once again. In the 1770s, Manchester had a population of about 25, 000 and by 1850, less than a century later, its population had increased to over 350, 000 people. However, this population boom brought about the dramatic worsening of health conditions in urban areas as work conditions and long hours put a toll on working people who were sometimes as young as eight years old. In addition, bad sewage disposal, air and water pollution as well as the diseases which resulted from this insalubrious environment caused an increase in the rate of infant mortality and shorter life expectancy. Along with poor health conditions, the toll roads, canals and railroads which now linked the countryside to urban areas had been built thanks to deforestation and soil depletion that largely contributed to the serious environmental problems that Europe was facing.

Social classes were also deeply affected by the Industrial Revolution. The standard of living for the common worked did not improve until the middle of the 19th century. Wages and standards of living were dictated by how well the business was doing hence there were rapid and serious fluctuations. Nonetheless, it is important to note here that the Industrial Revolution led to the creation of a middle class that in turn, gave birth to businesses. Family life was also altered by the Revolution with wives and husbands working in separate places. Moreover, the role of women in society during the era did not change significantly as they were underpaid and forced to choose between working as maids or in the textile industry (More 36). Child labor represented one of the most serious issues faced by British legislators during the Industrial Revolution. In their attempt to restrict it, they worsened the situation of immigrants who started being exploited by their employers (More 41). Protests did not help the cause of the immigrants who were being exploited because new immigrant workers kept entering the country, and were immediately hired to replace the protesters.

New social and political ideologies emerged during this era. Economist Adam Smith argued in his work, "The Wealth of Nations," in favor of laissez-faire economy which was based on the idea of restricting governmental interference in market economy. Robert Owen argued in favor of industrial reforms aimed at improving working conditions. The hard working conditions and bad economic life had generated protests and riots by the workers and eventually, the formation of trade unions. In turn, this led to political action when the Parliament passed the Factory Act of 1833, the Mines Act of 1842, and the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 that focused on solving the issue of abuse in industrial sectors (Stearns 28).