Historical Interpretation of Economic-Social Change The problem when looking at historical interpretations of economic-social change is that it is very difficult for the historian to comment without any of his or her personal political bias, it is for this reason that both sides of the standard of living debate must be looked at side by side. Historians commenting on the standard of living debate can be classified into two categories, the 'pessimists' who believe that the conditions for the working classes deteriorated, and the 'optimists' who hold the view that conditions improved with industrialisation. Historians when writing about the standard of living debate, attempt to explain the winners and losers of industrialisation by their own interpretation of evidence, as the study of the English working class has always been a politically biased subject. A pessimistic observer of Industrial Manchester was Friedrich Engels who wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844. This primary source is valuable, as Engels' father owned the factory in Manchester, which Engels had been sent to manage. Engels therefore had real experience of life in the city and his father's factory, and wrote with a social conscience. In describing Manchester following industrialisation Engels comments on the segregation in housing of the working class and middle class and identifies the distinct areas. The south bank of the Irk housing working class families "contain unqualifiedly the most horrible dwellings which I have yet beheld…..there stands ,a privy without a door, so dirty that the inhabitants can pass into and out of the court... ... middle of paper ... ...ilas Marner, London, Penguin Books Ltd Tonge, Neil (1993,2002) Industrialisation and Society 1700-1914, Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes Ltd Mathias, Peter (1969). The First Industrial Nation, London, Methuen & Co Ltd http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/d/da/das_kapital.html accessed 18/10/04 http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/ http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html#Notes - accessed 27/10/04 www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1844engels.html - accessed 28/10/04 http://www.bartleby.com/65/to/ToynbeeA.html -accessed 28/10/04 www.mcrh.mmu.ac.uk/confer/regid/jw.htm - accessed 29/10/04 www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wwollstonecraft.htm - accessed 29/10/04 www.faithnet.org.uk/Science/Sociology/feminism.htm - accessed 29/10/04 www.srcf.ucam.org/wu/feminism.txt - accessed 29/10/04
The Industrial Revolution began in England during the late 1700s, and by the end of its era, had created an enormous amount of both positive and negative effects on the world in social, economic, and even political ways. The revolution began to spread across the world, raising the standard of life for the populations in both Europe and North America throughout the 1800s. However, even with all of its obvious benefits, its downsides are nonnegotiable, forcing workers into horrendous living and working conditions, all inside of unkempt cities. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of the railroad system, it was actually a negative thing for society. Industrialization’s
When Queen Alexandrina Victoria took reign of england on june 20th 1837, her country was amidst a class evolution derived from the consequences of industrialization. Early industrialization saw vast exploitation of the lower classes, but by the mid 19th century reforms had improved working conditions. The late industrialization era saw the s...
After the Civil War, the United States had a total transformation. The country used to be mainly agricultural, but by the late 1800’s it became the world's leading industrial nation. Railroads and new inventions emerged rapidly along with big businesses. Huge corporations controlled the economy and a large amount of job opportunities emerged. Sadly, workers were mistreated and the workplace was a dangerous place to be, but that did not stop the average people from fighting for their rights. New political ideas came about and the United States turned upside down into a whole new era.
During the nineteenth century, Manchester, England became an increasingly industrialized city, and its population rose considerably. Although the industrialization of Manchester was extremely successful for the modernization of society, Manchester’s growth also raised many problems in society. Many different problems arose due to the industrialization of Manchester; however the conditions of the industrialization were viewed differently by different people. Some people wrote and spoke positively of the effects of industrialization, mostly in reference to the improvement of working conditions, and medicine, others wrote about social issues emphasizing the degradation of civilization, some wrote about the health problems that accompanied the population growth and industrialization, including decreased length of life, and increased malnutrition. There were many different reactions to the effects that accompanied the growth of Manchester due to factors such as increased population density, and decreased air quality, most people wrote about the effects of Manchester’s growth negatively largely because of the decrease in quality of life, however there were some people who wrote positively of the changes, these were mostly people who would gain from saying good things about Manchester’s growth.
In Britain, industrialization changed the lives of workers in many ways. One way workers lives changed is being able to earn higher wages. They could make more money in factories than on farms. Wi...
Primary Sources and Social Change of the Industrial Revolution The impact of the Industrial Revolution on the standard of living of working class people is, and has been frequently debated. There is a mass of primary and secondary sources of evidence from the time of the Industrial Revolution available to support differing views of the debate, and there are also many novels available that were written at the time which criticise industrial society, but the difficulty of assessing the total impact of industrialisation upon a population, is how to measure the changes in standard of living. We can look at changes in wages, the changing cost of food, rent and clothing, the impact of the factory systems, or the demographic changes to the society, but it is extremely difficult to weigh up one change against another. If we look at wage data to assess the standard of living, the problem is that payment in kind is not recorded. Agricultural workers for example, would be compensated for their low wages with farm produce, free fuel or subsidised rents, and wages only reflect the living standards of the employed.
The Industrial Revolution stimulated new ways of advancing technology as it spread throughout Great Britain. The issues raised by the growth of Manchester demonstrate the struggles of the working class and the devastating impact of industrialization on the environment and the will of the
The Industrial Revolution in Britain’s history is marked as the period of great development that led to the modern era of growth, improved living standards and technology. Moreover, this revolution was not just limited to Britain; it affected the rest of Europe and America in the same positive manner. Due to the Industrial Revolution’s success in many countries, it is now commonly cited as the surest way for a country to develop. In economics, goals of a developed country are high production of goods, high Gross Domestic Product (GDP), low unemployment and sustained growth; during an Industrial Revolution all these are achieved. However, despite the main goal of IR to improve living standards for the population, the actual success when weighed against the social cost is debatable. It is accepted that IR improved the living standards of many; it created a new class, which Marx called the “bourgeoisie”, who had control over wealth, decisions and helped improve the lives of many others. However, many historians view this new class as “rapacious landlords and conscienceless capitalist[s]” [9] who exploited the working class for their own benefit. For a majority of “the working class… ‘Industrial Revolution’ … must have appeared… as a gigantic and cruel experiment, which, insofar as it was affecting their house, their health, their subsistence and their pleasure, was proving a calamitous failure” [9]. Therefore, this group will be examined to determine more general effects of IR on the society.
This book is a great source for the study of humans and nature during the period of the Industrial Revolution. In this book the social impact of the Industrial Revolution is approached through an analysis of the labour force in 1851 and then leads into an assessment of family life and living standards during this controversial period.
Industrial Revolutions vs. Political Revolutions in History In considering whether industrial revolutions or political revolutions have had the greater impact upon history, one must understand the true nature of the question. Does it refer to instantaneous impact upon society? Does it refer to one's perceptions of historical importance? Does it mean to uncover which has made the most drastic change for humanity as a whole?
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Industrial Revolution in Europe had a significant influence on society. There were many changes in social classes and equality. The rise of the middle class had a momentous effect on the population of Europe and was a catalyst for many changes in the social makeup of the region. The influence of technology and electricity changed many aspects of social interaction and created a new class system. The migration of workers and the separation of the classes had political and social repercussions throughout Europe. Labor unions and political parties provided protection and a voice to many of the working class, and urbanization provided the stage for reformers to push for modernized cities. Women in this era also had distinct differences in their treatment and standing regardless of their social class. Two of the key social concerns of this new industrial era in Europe mainly revolved around the emerging social classes and the equality of women.
Everything is the same, everything is standardized. As depicted by Charles Dickens in Hard times, it’s a matter of fact versus fancy, standard versus imagination. In many ways, during a time where Marxism was booming and the idea of Communism would’ve been very appealing to many, the Industrial revolution ruined these standards and allowed Britain’s economy to grow. Yes, there was an upper and lower class, but the newly introduced middle class gave a subtle “equality” in the sense that upper class life wasn’t so out of reach anymore. They found themselves in a system that allowed lower class to evolve into middle class and maybe even upper class if they worked hard enough. “A major part of the revolution was the development of factories and mass production. Which sounds kind of bad, but they’re key things that we need to keep up our economy and plump lifestyle.” (Daniel); because the revolution, we are able to live how we do
Industrial Britain was an era of contradiction. Economic growth and innovation existed in great contrast with intensified poverty and class disparity. The technological changes cannot be denied, but it is arguable to what extent these advancements were to the benefit of society or at what cost they came. There was a significant rise in the middle class corresponding to an overall increase in quality of life, yet the lower class plunged deeper into pauperism . The demographics of cities and classes radically changed in this time, but does this correlate to net positive progression? Essentially, the answer to this depends on what perspective one adopts. Numerous contradictions exist in documentations of the time, showing an indelible bias, which
The aims of this paper are to evaluate the effects the Industrial Revolution had on the wider world. This essay will be assessing the impact of technology and innovation on employment of the era, and how the factory system gave rise to socialism. In addition, it will be evaluating how the Industrial Revolution was the precursor to the phenomenon of consumerism and the resulting globalization.
Katherine Davila Western Civilization II Response Essay 10/20/2015 Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution began in Britain, took place from the 18th to the 19th century and was a period during mainly agricultural, rural societies in Europe and America because industrial and urban. The term Industrial Revolution was first popularized by the English economic historian Arnold Toynbee to describe England’s economic development from the 1760 to 1840. The main structures involved in the Industrial Revolution were technological, socioeconomic, and cultural.