Industrial Revolution: Catalyst for the World
Industrial Revolution: Catalyst for the World In the ocean of modern history, there is a significant period between 1750 and 1914: The Industrial Revolution. During this period, the society and economic conditions had been influenced a lot by the major changes in agriculture, handicraft industry, manufacturing, transportation and technology. It was also a term that from agricultural and commercial society to modern industrial society. There were two revolutions during the middle of 18th century to the early of 20th century. The First Industrial Revolution, which began in the United Kingdom, mainly contributed to human’s manufacturing from rural handicraft industry to urban machine-driven manufacturing industry. At that time, steam was the major power of manufacturing machine, which provided increasingly routine and specialization of production. Next, the Second Industrial Revolution, which based on the appearance of electricity, led society into automatic age. Although the Industrial Revolution brought a dramatic increase in people’s productivity, it also caused some political problems to our modern society. This essay will present some prerequisites for an industrial revolution. Moreover, the potential benefit and drawback of the industrial revolution will be discussed in this essay. It is not accidental that the first industrial revolution began in Britain; that is, Britain provided the prerequisites for an industrial revolution.
Firstly, the highly commercialized economic system, which spawned a huge market in Britain, was one of the premises for an industrial revolution. Strayer(2011) claims, “ A series of agricultural innovations—crop rotation, selective breeding of animals, lighter plow, higher-yielding seed—increased agricultural output, keep food prices low, and freed up labor from the countryside”(p. 831). These innovations in agricultural manufacture drove more people to be willing to purchase the agricultural products. Furthermore, the Britain
Firstly, the highly commercialized economic system, which spawned a huge market in Britain, was one of the premises for an industrial revolution. Strayer(2011) claims, “ A series of agricultural innovations—crop rotation, selective breeding of animals, lighter plow, higher-yielding seed—increased agricultural output, keep food prices low, and freed up labor from the countryside”(p. 831). These innovations in agricultural manufacture drove more people to be willing to purchase the agricultural products. Furthermore, the Britain
References: Strayer. (2011). Revolutions of Industrialization, 1750-1914. Ways of the World: A brief global history with sources. pp. 825-875. C. Breard. (1936). The Industrial Revolution. London: George Allen & Unwin ltd. Museun Street. T. S. Ashton. (1948). The Industrial Revolution, 1760-1830. London: Oxford University Press, New York Toronto.