The Industrial Revolution between 1780 and 1850 - Essay Example

The Industrial Revolution Name Institution The Industrial Revolution Between 1780 and 1850, the humankind archives witness far-reaching revolution that completely changed the face of the society and the industries forever (Haywood, 2016). Originating in Britain, the industrial revolution spread through Europe to the United States of America and later across the globe. In particular, the industrial revolution significantly contributed to the success of the society by enhancing the social and economic aspects and destabilizing various traditional hierarchies (Arnold & Wiener, 2005). The new industrial and commercial success propelled the then civilization to create a strong foundation for the modern society. Changes in the intellectual atmosphere led to the introduction of various innovative techniques in the production sector. The efficiency levels of production, as well as human productivity, skyrocketed in a spectacular way (Allport, 2011). As a consequence, the industrial sector experienced great growth resulting in the manufacturing of various products such as metal and textile goods. Nations that invested heavily on the newly introduced innovations witness an increase in the production of goods, which were readily consumed by the rapid growth of population with different consumption behaviours (Ashworth, 2014). Additionally, the rapid industrial growth incorporated large-scale investments and developments in transportation networks, which further contributed to the expansion of the markets and the flow of various goods. The resulting commercial flow further catalysed the industrial growth in this period (Haywood, 2016). Due to the stability of the social structures in the industrialized countries, the factory system adopted a new labour organization approaches that standardized the life of the society as opposed to the preceding years. Consequently, the modernisation of the agricultural field accelerated the process of urbanisation, leading to the formation of distinguished social structures. The social structures were classified according to the influence over the civilization, as well as the working class (Fleischman & Parker, 2017). The cumulative changes taking place during this period facilitated the transformation of the societies and the trajectory of massive economic expansion, making the industrial revolution. Thus, the industrial revolution marked the beginning of the modern world and civilization. The presumptions that the industrial revolution started in Britain have sparked several historical debates (Mokyr, 2008). However, the existing historical studies indicate that Britain institutions played a central role in the industrial revolution that changed the world forever (Haywood, 2016). Apparently, these systems were paramount in the formation of egalitarian civilization, facilitating and supporting fiscal expansion, stimulating technological innovations, as well as the industrialisation and urbanisation that created social, national and regional disparities witnessed today. The standard Britain institutional framework encouraged the growth of social classes, escalating the growth of the middle class that created the need for additional institutions. The need for institutional stability was fostered by the egalitarian, creating favourable grounds for the industrial revolution. Prior to the industrial revolution, Britain had various institutional frameworks (Ray, 2011). A classic example is the European legal systems that were created in reaction to the molar values within the Catholic Churches. For that reason, the discipline of studying law was crafted in various parts of Europe, slowly introducing the culture and the tendency of the society to assess and examine the authority. Besides, education was increasingly becoming important and popular among the middle classes in Britain (Ashworth, 2014). The growing number of elites in the British population formed the basis of calls for inclusion and participation in the political and national affairs. The kings were compelled to share the political power with the people, making the legal structures an integral part of the society. Therefore, the British institutions adopted a system that promoted equality among the affluent and influential individuals to prevent them from using power and authority to cater for their interests. Additionally, the growing influence and significance of the middle class led to the formation of political unions, organizations, along with other institutions. This due to the cooperation between the political elites and the common citizens resulted in mutual benefits (Griffin, 2010). Furthermore, Britain was branded as one of the classical nations with shared identity, loyalty and equality, creating a favourable environment for particular groups and individuals to establish new institutions, which was contrary to other countries, where the creation of establishments was suppressed (Tomory, 2016). Another factor that facilitated the industrial revolution was the recognition of property rights, which were not recognized in Asia and Latin America. Equal distribution of the national wealth, through the Old Poor Law in Britain, boosted the income and economic power of the population. The British Old Poor Law ensured that the working class was well fed and compensated to improve the productivity levels of the human resources (Arnold & Wiener, 2005). In attempts to reduce competition and foster uniform growth, the Old Poor Law increased the wages for those who did not receive the redistribution benefits. The increase of active institutional systems played a central for the rapid economic expansion in Britain during the industrial revolution, leading to economic progress of the society (Griffin, 2010). In the course of the sixteenth century, British institutions had established a national framework that inspired the recognition of property rights among the national leaders (Allport, 2011). Nonetheless, the system discouraged the tendency of general rent-seeking tendencies led to the appreciation of mutual goals obtained interactions, integration, and cooperation. As a result, the British interest rates significantly low when compared to other regions in the seventeenth century (Allen, 2009). The low-interest rates and cooperation reduced the insecurities, encouraging sustainable and predictable growth patterns. As a consequence, the British Society developed a high level of trust, which is paramount for the stability of the market environment. Small monetary interests also encouraged the human capital investments and developments of assets focusing on technologies (Griffin, 2010). The union between the financial and commercial institutions facilitated the transitioning and long-term growth of the economic growth witnessed in Britain due to the creation of a favourable environment for fiscal expansion. The resulting situation created a consumer society, altering the work ethics and working conditions (Mantoux, 2015).Whereas other regions across the world were experiencing a rapid population increase, the rate of population growth was slow in Britain due to the social issues supported the maintenance of a high per capital income (Ray, 2011). The socioeconomic circumstances influenced the age of marriage, especially among the women. Additionally, the social taboos that discouraged childbirths out of wedlock and the British values for nuclear families significantly reduced the fertility rates, hence the slow population growth. As previously mentioned, the economic redistribution and the implementation of the Old Poor Law increased the economic and purchasing power of the British citizens. The slow population growth led to a higher per capita income among the British. The combination of higher wages and favourable economic conditions encouraged more people to pursue higher education in various learning institutions (Fleischman & Parker, 2017). This resulted in an increase in the intellectual development of the British society, establishing a strong foundation for innovations and scientific studies (Hoppit, 2009). Higher intellectual development due to specialized training and education further enhanced the invention and utilization of new technologies to improve the production levels at minimum cost. The economic benefits witnessed through the use of technology to increase the profit margins further encouraged Britain to invest in advanced research to save labour and reduce the resources used in production. Apparently, the commencement of industrial revolution heavily relied on a strong institutional framework. The higher per capita income in Britain supported the investment on new technologies as well as the intellectual development (Allport, 2011). In particular, the intellectual property rights under the patent system were enacted in 1624, encouraged the inventors to conduct further studies due to the associated incentives. As a result, the inventions assumed the status of tangible assets (Hoppit, 2009). The diffusion of the knowledge and the principles that led to the discovery of new production techniques was facilitated by the presence of communes and guilds. This supports the presumptions that strong institutional frameworks were paramount in the radical industrial changes. Using the discoveries from the inventors, organizations and other institutions developed micro-technologies to address or modify the machines to cater for specific needs (Mokyr, 2008). Eventually, the innovations led to the introduction of highly skilled labour, which gradually improved the production systems. In addition to institutional stability, the geographical factors also favoured the rapid industrial growth in Britain. Typically, Britain is surrounded by sea and many river networks with large estuaries. The availability of large water bodies around the region enabled Britain to benefit from cheap transport through water (Ray, 2011). Water transport, which is often easy and relatively inexpensive compared to other modes, increased the accessibility of British ports and coastal regions. The ease of movement of people and products escalated the rate of the adoption and assimilation of new technologies and intellectual knowledge. Unlike other countries, the availability of natural barriers due to the rivers and the sea shielded Britain from external attacks. The sociopolitical stability of a nation is vital since it stimulated economic development (Fleischman & Parker, 2017). Thus, the natural barriers ensured that Britain had a stable and peaceful environment, which are the core ingredients of economic expansion. Evidently, Britain was not invaded or attacked since 1066 by the end of the eighteenth century. Being an island, Britain used the innate survival tactics of human beings to develop efficient and stable navigation strategies. As a result, the region was in a position to develop strong maritime defence power to guard its territories against external invasions (Tomory, 2016). The resulting defence established a favourable environment for international and regional trade stimulating the rapid growth of the British industries. The accessibility and strong maritime defence enabled the British inventors to obtain knowledge from various parts of the world, encouraging more inventions due to the availability of stable institutional systems and a supportive environment (Hudson, 2012). The presence of vast resources, such as iron and non-ferrous metal in Britain may also have contributed to the commencement of the industrial revolution in this region. Since timber was used as one of the energy sources, the British industrial expansion would have been hindered. However, Britain relied on the enhancement of technology to improve the efficiency of power consumption and the vast coal resources as the primary source of energy (Allen, 2009). Again, water transport played a critical role in offering affordable movement of coal from the mines to various destinations in the country. The ability of the British industries to access coal resources through affordable means due to water transport reduced the cost of production and increased the profit margins (Hoppit, 2009). For that reason, the industries were in a position to sufficiently compensate the workers and retain considerable amounts of revenue to innovative initiatives. Notably, water transport also contributed to the British industrial revolution. It made the large-scale transportation of coal and heavily pieces of machinery and innovations relatively affordable. If the British industries relied on the road networks as the only means of mass transportation, the industrial revolution would have been delayed until the era of railway infrastructures. The absence of the water navigation routes would also have made the production process costly due to the rarefaction of wood in Britain (Hudson, 2012). Consequently, the presence of vast coal resources and mining activities triggered the invention of highly efficient steam engines, which enhanced the production of textile products and also the scientific discipline that deals with metal works. Therefore, the presence of fossil fuels stimulated the first industrial revolution in Britain. Also, the British island territories promoted local and foreign trade activities that fostered the economic growth. Literary studies estimate that the productivity in the British agricultural sector doubled from 1700 to 1850, which corresponds to the industrial revolution. The development of the agricultural activities is attributed to three primary factors, namely, excellent living standards, urbanisation and the steady growth of the British population (Allen, 2009). The growing number of the working class and business expansion triggered a substantial movement of people from the rural areas towards the urban cities, where the manufacturing plants and mining sites were located. As a consequence, the population pressure on the rural regions diminished, freeing up more land for cultivation. This enabled the farmers to exploit the benefits of the economy of scales concepts to enhance the production levels. The political and social frameworks allowing the redistribution of the national resources to the citizens supported the peasants in rural areas to sustain the agricultural activities (Hudson, 2012). Additionally, exceptional living standards enabled people to engage in advanced studies, increasing the number of scholars in the British society. Since the previous generations relied on agricultural activities for survival, it was natural for the inventors to focus on establishing innovative approaches to enhance the level of agrarian productivity in attempts to reduce the cost of production and maximizing the possible returns on investment. This is also evident in the agricultural revolution, which had different impacts on the world. Thus, higher wages and research efforts led to the introduction of farming techniques and types of machinery, which improved the agricultural productivity (Hoppit, 2009). The steady population growth in Britain reduced stress on food production which maintained the fertility of the available lands, leading to a sustainable exploitation of agricultural resources. As a result, the farming activities in Britain were practical and economically viable to feed the workers and fuel the industrial revolution. As highlighted before, Britain was characterized by cooperation between the society, elites, and the ruling class. This made the movement of the local, capital and the foreigners relatively easy (Mokyr, 2008). The elite and educated British people were allowed to associate and engage in exchange programs with colleagues both locally and regionally encouraged the diffusion of innovations. In the mid-eighteenth century, Britain was one of the greatest trading nations. Furthermore, the powerful presence military with navigation skills across the seas gave the affluent and influential the privilege to cruise to various trade destinations (Mantoux, 2015). The navigation and navy capabilities also guided the British spirit of colonisation in different areas of the world. The intensification of trading activities and colonial spirit escalated the level of exports and imports. Consequently, the spiralling of the number of imports and exports was complemented by the expansion of British ports such as Bristol, London, and Liverpool. This stimulated the economic enlargement of the ports' environs, particularly those with textile industries. Between 1770 and 1830, the exporting rate of processed British cotton products drastically increased from about 2% to 55% in Britain. Similarly, the level of raw cotton importation also skyrocketed (Tomory, 2016). During this period, there was massive growth of the textile industries characterized by the integration of new technologies. The trends in exportation and importation of raw and processed cotton are attributed to the colonial labour force in the North-American region, which ensured Britain had access to the required raw materials. In the eighteenth century, Britain imports comprised raw materials such as natural cotton, timber, linen, and wool, along with food items like wine, sugar, as well as grains (Tomory, 2016). A significant percentage of the imported items were processed and re-exported within the European region for huge revenues. Nevertheless, the British exports in the European region gradually reduced in 1700 and escalated to other geographical parts such as America in 1800. The shift of the exportation forces led to the development of stronger ties between Britain and the United States of America, stabilizing revenues generated from international trade. In the same way, the British exports in Asia also increased within the same period (Mantoux, 2015). It is worth noting that the British exports rapidly expanded since it did not adhere to the international trade regulation treaties to facilitate free trade before the 1840s. Apparently, the introduction of free trade pacts significantly reduced the British trading abilities in the mid-nineteenth century, restricting further economic expansion (Allen, 2009). The absence of international business regulations allowed Britain to accrue massive wealth, marking the beginning of the global industrial revolution. In conclusion, the industrial revolution was the evolution to the modern manufacturing progressions in the period between the late 1700s and mid-1800s. Although there is no consensus about the origin of the revolution, it is widely believed that Britain played an essential role in marking the beginning of the new era. One of the major factors that stimulated the British industrial revolution was the presence of high institutional systems, which enabled the governing authority to collaborate with the ordinary citizens to achieve mutual goals. Therefore, the British Society obtained the liberty of exploring new ideas that led to the introduction of new technologies. Additionally, the tendency of the government to redistribute the national wealth through different institutions empowered the working social class to pursue intellectual development in the learning institutions. A steady population growth, influenced by the British sociocultural values maintained the population growth, increasing the per capita income of the working class. Strengthening the economic power of the middle class led to the formation of a group of scientific inventors, in attempts to enhance business performance. Other factors that stimulated the beginning of the industrial revolution in Britain were agricultural activities, the presence of fossils fuel, and water boundaries. The boundaries created a natural barrier, reducing the probability of external attacks by other countries. As an island, Britain was surrounded by water, providing cheaper water transportation channels. It also enabled Britain to use its military power to dominate the international trade, accumulating massive wealth. Furthermore, Britain established trade relations with other countries, spreading the wave of industrial revolution. References Allen, R. (2009). Why was the Industrial Revolution British?. Oxonomics, 4(1), 50-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-5209.2009.00032.x. Allport, A. (2011). The British industrial revolution. New York: Chelsea House. Arnold, J., & Wiener, R. (2005). The industrial revolution. New York: Grolier. Ashworth, W. (2014). The British industrial revolution and the ideological revolution: Science, Neoliberalism and History. History Of Science, 52(2), 178-199. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0073275314529860. Fleischman, R. K., & Parker, L. D. (2017). What Is Past Is Prologue: Cost Accounting in the British Industrial Revolution 1760-1850. Routledge. Griffin, E. 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New York: Westview Press. Ray, I. (2011). Bengal industries and the British industrial revolution (1757-1857). London: Routledge. Tomory, L. (2016). Technology in the British Industrial Revolution. History Compass, 14(4), 152-167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/hic3.12306. Read More