The Steam Locomotive and the Railways - Essay Example

The Steam Locomotive and the Railways: Influence in the Economic Growth Pattern of United s and other North Atlantic Nations At the turn of the 20th century, most of Europe and the United States experienced unprecedented growth. Never before in the history of the world can one see progress moving full steam ahead. Looking back there can be many factors that could have contributed the runaway economic growth especially in the decades after World War II. The probable reasons that could be given by the average person would be the ingenious inventions or perhaps the shrewd application of business principle to maximize profit or perhaps the impetus to move forward and do something to improve the nation's gross domestic product. But in all these reasons there is one crucial aspect of progress that without it all of the above would have been rendered impossible to achieve. It is the development of steam locomotive and railways. This paper will look into the current patterns of economic growth in some North Atlantic nations with a special focus on the United States and try to find out the connection with the development of steam locomotive and railways. The Industrial Revolution It all began in a period of Western history that is now popularly known as the Industrial Revolution. Just like the Renaissance that happened a hundred or so years before it, the Industrial Revolution paved the way for numerous changes in the way men see the world around them. It is in this period of human history where one could see technology taking over the lives of people and its hold on them could be understood by the help of the following insights by Derry and Williams who wrote that, "Technology is largely concerned with the process of transformation - the transformation of raw materials into useful or aesthetically pleasing articles" (1993, 259). The Steam Engine The development of the steam locomotive started first with breakthroughs in the understanding of how steam engines worked. When scientists and entrepreneurs in the 19th century Europe was able to get themselves familiarized with the tremendous potential of steam engines, they were now ready for another innovation that will change the course of history. It was an Englishman, George Stephenson and his sons who developed the first successful steam locomotive that they christened as the Rocket in 1829 and according to Josh Sakolsk, "Soon, railroads based on steam locomotives grew explosively across England. In just fifteen eyars, 2441 miles of track had been laid to carry not only cargo but people as well" (Sakolsky, 2005, 6). Derry and Williams gave the explanation to the significance of the steam locomotive in assuring the success of the Industrial Revolution by suggesting that transport improvements operate both as a cause and effect and they remarked: They are an effect because the steam-engine [] made possible new modes of transport by sea, land, and air. But the new means of transport were also a cause of industrial change. Without them bulky and heavy materials - in the first phase, coal and iron, and later, steel, petroleum, Malayan tin, and rubber - could never have been concentrated for manufacture, nor cold the food have been found for the manufacturing populations (1993, 364). All eyes are on England at the time of the Industrial Revolution. Every nation in the world aspires to be like the rich and powerful nations in Europe, more especially the Great Britain who at this time can still boast that the sun does not set on the British Empire. It is therefore understandable that by this time, their once colony, the United States of America is poised to copy and to emulate all the great things that is happening in the nation closest to home. Sakolsky then pointed out the inevitable; America operated its first railway by 1830 and he added, "After 1848, Chicago became the main hub for transportation with many different rail lines and a canal system terminating there" (2005, 7). Runaway Growth There is a saying that not all that glitters is gold. It can also be argued that not all growth is beneficial. Cancer is a kind of uncontrollable growth and yet it is harmful and very deadly. In the same way that the Industrial Revolution had solved economic problems it also brought upon the modern world the problems of overcrowding, the destruction of natural landscapes and the redefinition of what a city should look like. Sakolsky provided an example of success turned bad and he wrote, "As more and more people moved to America's cities to take advantage of all these opportunities, the character of the United States changed. America was no longer a land dominated by farmers, but one dominated by city dwellers living off of wages" (2005, 7) It was not only the American farmers that were attracted to cities and its promise for a better way of life. Immigrants from all over the world, in search of the American dream risked lives and limbs just so they could find work in the factories. One could easily imagined the overcrowding, the pollution, and the environmental degradation brought about by this daily additions of people into the cities. Now, there is a need to move the masses away from the cities for many reasons aside from health benefits of getting more fresh air and a more soothing landscape as opposed to the darkness and grime of the city streets. Oliver Gillham beautifully recorded the new phenomenon of urban development when he wrote the following: Ironically, it was one of the noisy, smoky creations of the industrial era that made modern suburbs possible: the steam locomotive. The first American exodus was carried out to greener pastures on rails of steel [] to their new suburbs as cottages in a park. Winding streets and generous lots, compatible architecture, and sumptuous landscaping(2002, 27). The following will take a closer look at sprawling for this phenomenon deserves more space in order to show that aside from the steam locomotive and the factories it is the proper relocation of the labour force into the periphery of the city that created further improvements in the Industrial Age in particular and the development of new economic patterns of growth in general. The Sprawl All of the above can be described in one word, "sprawling". It is a term given to the present day phenomenon of stretching the boundaries of cities and suburbs to create more space for workers and employees who would love to have bigger properties at a cheaper price. For this to work suburbs must be located much farther and for this happen highways must be constructed so that people can commute from home to work and back again and at the same time transport them to places of recreation during weekends. The Natural Resources Defense Council puts it this way, "Sprawling development eats up farms, meadows, and forests, turning them into strip malls and subdivisions that serve cars better than people" (as qtd. in Gillham 2002: 4). Gillham in his study on the seemingly limitless city boundary traced the development of sprawling way back into the mid-nineteenth century and he wrote, "The onset of the industrial revolution brought about a great shift in population, drawing people from farms into burgeoning cities. By 1920, more Americans dwelled in cities than on farms" (2002: 25). Economic growth has now found two allies in the luring of more people from the farms and even as far away as continental Europe itself because people believed that they can earn more working in the industries of the city and at the same time they are attracted to suburban living, a slice of heaven on earth. The new pattern of economic growth in the United States and other European nations who thrive in industrialization of their respective nations can now be characterized by labor unions and a more organized workforce ready to make their presence felt and be recognized as an important cog in the greater scheme of things. This migration and conversion of farmers into skilled laborers in factories could not exist for a long time before crisis will occur and Sakolsky was right when he said that, "This would lead to periodic outbreaks of strong labor unrest as workers attempted to gain a larger share of the wealth that they were instrumental in producing" (2005, 7). This new development is a far cry from what Americans and Europeans are accustomed to be doing for the last few thousand years. People are skilled to provide goods and service that could only have been brought about by a lifelong desire to master a skill that could ensure them a means of livelihood and identity. Examples of such specialists are farmers, fishermen, cobblers, tailors etc. But in the new world system, these romantic ideas about earning a living soon disappeared. Men are reduced to laborers lost in the sea of countless workers in the floor of factories. These same people would be forced to band together and use their clout as a group to demand a bigger slice of the pie. Now, the transformation is complete. A historian who has lived in 17th century Europe -if allowed to visit post-Industrial Revolution America - may very well feel dumbfounded upon the degree of development, men had wrought because they themselves could scarcely believe the rate of development that has happened a mere 200 years later. What one could see in the 21st century economic and physical landscape of the industrialized nations can be traced back to two major developments in the history of mankind. The first one is a major historical landmark called the Industrial Revolution. The second still pertains to the revolution of industries but focuses on the transportation aspect. When the steam locomotive was already perfected it opened the doors of America's cities to the teeming masses looking for better opportunities; they dared break the social barriers given to them. Many left their job as farmers and allowed employers to dictate them how to use their time and to used as labourers in the manufacture of uniform products that are so different from what they used to be handling as farmers. It was not only the American farmers that were attracted to the city but also an exodus of immigrants was experienced during the late 19th century up to the middle of the 20th century. These exodus of people transformed America not only in terms of the physical development of the nation but also in the economic aspect. The economic patter of growth was dictated by the presence of industries and the hordes of workers that make the factories work. The development of railways gave rise to the development of mega cities that became centres of trading. For a relatively short period of time railways have transformed the way Americans do business. There are at least three major consequences of this technology: 1. A whole new class of people emerged - the labourers whose identity and survival is linked strongly with the manufacturing firms. 2. Cities were transformed not only as a centre of gravity pulling people and resources into its core but also as a place that has to break from its rigid structure and has to embrace the concept of suburbia. This in turn allowed cities to grow much further and for it to acquire more complex technologies as more and more people are accommodated to either live within the city or in the periphery. 3. Technology builds upon technology. This phenomenon came from an unexpected cause, when the industries experienced a severe lack of skilled workers. Then the economic forces were able to come up with a solution which is to replace man with machines. This again provided another blue print for patterns of new economic growth. The development of steam locomotive and railways was the spark needed to carry the Industrial Revolution to higher levels never before imagined. The consequences of such developments caught many unaware of its serious repercussions. The first major effect was the harsh and almost inhuman conditions tolerated by the workers in the city factories. Ironically, it is again the steam locomotive that provided an answer to the workers problems. The improvements in transport allow them to commute to and from work. What is most significant is that these transporters provided a bit of luxury in allowing them to live in a more desirable environment. This pattern continues until more and more people are being sucked into the cities and suburbs. This led into another development which is the organization created by the great number of workers. The unions and the strengthening of labour groups allowed for the rise of a component of modern businesses processes and that is to learn how to deal with these groups. In characteristic of new patterns of economic growth can be seen in the mass production of goods, the emergence of a new class of people and continuous innovations brought upon technology improving itself to create something new and so on. Amsden, Alice. (2001). The Rise of the Rest. New York: Oxford University Press. Brezina, Corona. (2005). The Industrial Revolution in America. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. Daniels, T. & D. Bowers. (1997). Holding Our Ground: Protecting America's Farms and Farmland. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Deane, Phylis. (2000). The First Industrial Revoluton. UK: Cambridge University Press. Derry, T. and T. Williams. (1993). A Short History of Technology: From the Earliest Times to A.D. 1900. New York: Dover. Freeman, C. & Luc Soete. (1997). The Economics of Industrial Innovation. UK: Routledge. Gillham, Oliver. (2002). The Limitless City: A Primer on the Urban Sprawl Debate. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Lehman, Tim. (1995). Public Values, Private Lands: Farmland Preservation Policy. Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press. Sakolsky, J. (2005). Critical Perspectives on the Industrial Revolution. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. Read More