Karl Marx's Views on how Industrialization Affected Society

1500 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Industrial revolution social changes

Karl Marx's Views on how Industrialization Affected Society The Industrial Revolution was the result of many interrelated changes that transformed society from agricultural communities into industrial ones. The most immediate changes on society because of this revolution were on the products that were produced, where, and how. Goods that were traditionally made in homes or small workshops began to be manufactured in large industrial factories. As a result, productivity and efficiency increased dramatically, thereby causing a radical shift in the long-established economies that existed at the time. The Industrial Revolution led to the growth of cities as people moved from rural areas to the city in order to find work. Marx believed that the changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution overturned not only the traditional economies, but also society in general. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, both societal and economic conditions were largely determined by agriculture. Growth was slow, and people relied on traditional means to get by. The majority of the society were farmers and raised other animals. In the eighteenth century, however, the population exploded at an unprecedented pace. There are four primary reasons that may be cited for this growth: a decline in the death rate, an increase in the birth rate, the virtual elimination of plagues, and an increase in the availability of food [1]. This population growth created a surplus of labor. The need for workers in agriculture decreased due to the technological advances in techniques and tools. The surplus of people, as well as other would-be farmers, had to find jobs elsewhere. This is one important factor in the shift of the popul... ... middle of paper ... ...Sherman, Dennis, and Joyce Salisbury. The West in the World. Vol. 2: From 1600. (New York: McGraw Hill Publishers, 2001), 572. 4. Joseph A. Montagna, “The Industrial Revolution,” Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. 2001, http://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html (22 October 2001). 5. The Acts 29 Times. “The Industrial Revolution,” April 1999, http://www.acts29online.org/industrial%20revolution.htm, 22 October 2001. 6. James Fielden, The Curse of the Factory System (New York, A. M. Kelley, 1969), 34- 35. 7. Fielden, 34-35. 8. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, Industrial Revolution, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington. 9. Chris Rohmann, A World of Ideas (New York: Random House Publishing, 1999), 249. 10. Rohmann, 249 11. Marx, 19. 12. Marx, 16.

Show More
Related

  • Karl Marx and His Beliefs About Society

    1605 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the beginning of the nineteenth century, several aspects of life were coming together for those that lived in Europe, and especially for those that lived in England. The Scientific Revolution had ended in the late seventeenth century; consequently, leaving the lingering aspects of science as a proven way to show that some ideologies of the Catholic Church were incorrect. The Enlightenment of the late eighteenth century had caused all of England and Europe to decide where to let their lives lead them in terms of faith; either towards Christianity, or towards Protestantism. The final time period that had a major impact on the English and European society was the Industrial Revolution, which introduced new ways to make life easier in terms of the production of goods, and make life as simple as possible. These three main time periods gave Karl Marx the reason and drive to reform the way that society was run, as shown in the words that he wrote in the Communist Manifesto pertaining to the life of the individual in terms of faith.

    Read More

  • Impact and Change: The Industrial Revolution

    323 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution was an age of great change and growth throughout the world. It represented a change from 1760 and on. The movement started in Great Britain and impacted everything from manufacturing processes to the daily life of every average citizen. The social impacts of the Industrial Revolution greatly impacted the world for years to come. The industrial revolution brought an increase population to urbanized areas, with bad living conditions in the city this lead to an absence of public sanitation.

    Read More

  • Industrial Revolution Effects On American Society

    1380 Words  | 3 Pages

    The industrial revolution reshaped America’s cities, society and way of life in the 1800’s. America is what it is today because of this shift from farmers, craftsmen, and merchants to factory workers, working middle class, and the wealthy class. News ways of transporting goods by using canals, steamboats and trains helped jump start the revolution. The invention of the cotton gin reshaped American slavery, shifting it to the Deep South. The rise of factories led to a new working class of semi-skilled and unskilled workers. All three of these things are responsible for the industrial revolution and bring America in the modern world of today.

    Read More

  • Industrial Revolution Dbq Essay

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution was a fundamental change in the production of goods that altered the life of the working class. Similar to most other historical turning points, it had skeptics, or people that doubted the change, and fanatics, people who saw the value in the change being made. The Industrial Revolution and the period that followed shortly after highlight these varying opinions, as people were more conflicted than ever about the costs of industrialization. While Industrialization started in England as an attempt to capitalize on the good fortune they had struck, it quickly developed into a widespread phenomenon that made the product of goods more exact and controlled by higher level people. Many industries, such as the cotton and textile

    Read More

  • Industrial Revolution Essay

    1818 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in history, because before this revolution, life for the average person was difficult, as incomes were very little, and malnourishment and disease were common. People produce the most of their own food, clothing, furniture and tools. Robert E. Lucas, Jr., winner of Nobel Prize, said: ‘’For the first time in history, the living standards of the masses of ordinary people have begun to undergo sustained growth... Nothing remotely like this economic behavior is mentioned by the classical economists, even as a theoretical possibility.’’1.

    Read More

  • The Effects of the Market Revolution oin American Society

    3121 Words  | 7 Pages

    Pre-industrial labor mostly consisted of farming and agriculture involving the entire family. In 1823, 97 percent of all Americans still lived in farms therefore the rural population and workforce was much larger than the urban population and workforce. The production and growing of food was used by the...

    Read More

  • Turning Points in History

    424 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change and increased efficiency. No more would be goods be produced by sole means of farming and agriculture, but now by the use of machinery and factories. Technology was beginning to increase along with the food supply as well as the population. However, this increase in population would greatly impact the social aspect of that time. Urbanization was becoming much more widespread. Cities were becoming overwhelmingly crowded and there was an increase in disease as well as harsh child labor. Although child labor would be reduced somewhat due to unions, the Industrial Revolution still contained both it’s positive and negative results.

    Read More

  • American History: 1800s and Up

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    The mid 19th century was an age of growth like no other. The term “Industrial Revolution” refers to the time period where production changed from homemade goods, to those produced by machines and factories. As industrial growth developed and cities grew, the work done by men and women diverged from the old agricultural life. People tended to leave home to work in the new factories being built. They worked in dangerous conditions, were paid low wages, and lacked job security (Kellogg). It is difficult to argue, however, that the economic development of the United States was not greatly dependent on the industrial revolution.

    Read More

  • Karl Marx and a Capitalist Society

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through out history money, wealth and capital have dictated a way of life to the masses. Wealth dictated the lives that the rich lived and the lives of the poor that worked for and surrounded them. In some cultures your class could never be escaped in life, you had to wait for your next incarnation, while in other cultures the idea of wealth transcended a life and allowed for growth from one class to another. This is the reality of a capitalist society that was first discussed by Karl Marx in the 19th century.

    Read More

  • Karl Marx and His Critique of Capitalism

    1573 Words  | 4 Pages

    The definition of utopia is an ideally perfect place especially in its social, political, and moral aspects (dictionary.com). This paper will discuss the changes in capitalism since Marx’s critique in 1848. Marx’s fundamental critique remains correct today. Marx is still correct about his critique of capitalism because even though there have been changes made to capitalism to prevent some abuses, capitalism still produces inequality, reduces the family relationship, destroys small business, and enslaves.

    Read More

  • The Positive Effects Of Britain's Industrial Revolution

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change in the world and changed the way many products were manufactured. Originating in England and Great Britain, its effects spread across the globe and influenced the way people lived and worked and lead to the modern world known today. While it did not always have positive effects, through imperialism, Britain’s Industrial Revolution brought about technological innovations that transformed the world and its economies.

    Read More

  • Child Labor and England’s Industrial Revolution

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the late 18th century to the mid 19th century, the economy in England was transformed from an agricultural to a manufacturing –based economy. In 1801, agriculture provided employment for 36% of the British population. By 1851, only 10% of the British population was employed in agriculture, while over 40% was employed in industry (Hopkins, 36). As a direct result of this transformation, a surplus of jobs were created and displaced farming families moved in to fill them. Factory and Mine owners exploited the situation by offering families a means to make more money, by putting their children to work. Industry profited from this arrangement by saving money, since child labor was more “cost effective”. According to one historian, Clark Nardinelli, “in 1835 56,000 children under the age of thirteen were working in textile factories alone. By 1874, the number of child laborers in the market hit its peak with over 122,000 children between the ages of 10 and thirteen working in textile factories (4).”

    Read More

  • Karl Marx's Theory of Capitalism

    2228 Words  | 5 Pages

    Karl Marx's Theory of Capitalism Marxism like functionalism is concerned with the overall picture of

    Read More

  • Karl Marx's Theory Of Socialism In Society

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Karl Marx emphasized a lot on the importance of socialism in society. In his theory, socialism was the only way to end the huge in socio-economic classes. He condemned the emergence of capitalism and the growth of industries that made disunited employers and employees as captured in his theory of labour. In his view, under capitalist production, a great number of people, more often than not, are confiscated from their rewards after so much hard work, and have utterly no control over the environment in which they work under. Jobs no longer reflect human imagination, but rather an insignificant method of generating more profits to enrich modest elite. Marx 's fixation on class reflects even today 's post-modern, socially dynamic world. Marx ideas

    Read More

  • The French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    The development of the industrialisation is outcome of the advancement of agriculture. Agriculture has played very important role in the development of human civilisation. Nearly 90 percent of the population lived in rural area during the 18th century. These rural families produced most of the food, clothing and other useful commodities. Talking about the advancement of agriculture, no other name comes to mind except of England. It is to be noted that farmers in England were among the most productive farmers of the world. The new methods of farming brought mass production in early 18th century leading to the Agricultural revolution. “In the early eighteenth century, Britain exported wheat, rising from 49,000 quarters in 1700 to a massive peak of 950,000 quarters in 1750” .The whole benefit of the Agricultural revolution was shared among aristocratic landholders. They were the only top authorities, as English throne was already overthrown by aristocratic class in 1688 during the Glorious Revolution. Landholders started enclosure movement to end the traditional rights of land and to gain full control over the benefits from agricult...

    Read More

More about Karl Marx's Views on how Industrialization Affected Society

Open Document