The industrial revolution is a historical period characterized by economic, technological, cultural and social transformations.
During the second part of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century , a period that remained in history under the name of the industrial revolution took place. It was a time of great transformations in the technological, economic, social and cultural sphere, which had its epicenter in England .
With the industrial revolution, industry and manufacturing activities replaced manual labor. This meant the mechanization of multiple production processes and the elimination of numerous jobs , since these tasks began to be carried out by machines.
The industrial revolution was made up of two very different stages: the first occurred between the years 1750 and 1840, and the second, between 1880 and 1914. Both can be analyzed through specific changes that took place in societies. In principle, there was a demographic transformation , with the transfer of the rural population to cities and international migrations. Then a great economic change took place, with mass production and the emergence of large companies , which contributed to strengthening capitalism .
First industrial revolution
The first stage of this change originated in the United Kingdom; However, it was a process that triggered changes in all countries and was based on economic liberalism . The fundamental reason why it began in this country was possibly that it was an open society prepared for change, and that it had large deposits of iron, thanks to which it was possible to develop the machinery necessary to launch the industry.
The first step of the industrial revolution was the mechanization of textile activities and the industrialization of iron production. The emergence of the railroad and the creation of steam engines were other decisive changes, since they facilitated the transportation of goods and increased productive capacity.
The development of the railway was key to the beginning of the industrial revolution.
The second process
The second stage was a consequence of the first and featured countries such as France, Belgium, Russia, Germany and the United States. It was characterized by further laying the economic foundations that would govern the course of societies from the 19th century onwards.
This period consolidated capitalism as the dominant ideology of commercial relations in the world and brought with it important technological advances that would be reflected in more sophisticated machinery for production, improvements in means of transportation and fundamentally an increase in the comforts of citizens in their daily development.
It is important to highlight that in both periods social transformations occurred such as the birth of the proletariat , that is, industrial workers, and the degradation of the environment due to the uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources.
Parallel to the appearance of the proletariat, another social group was formed, identified with the name of industrial bourgeoisie , which encompassed the large businessmen and those who remained with the power and economic benefits derived from this historical process.
Consequences of the industrial revolution
Three strong points of the industrial revolution can be mentioned:
* The agricultural revolution : thanks to the investment that certain owners made in modern techniques of working the soil and in the modernization of cultivation systems, which brought a progressive increase in agricultural production. It should be noted that in this period the use of fertilizers in agriculture was created and implemented;
* Development of commercial capital : rules were established to systematize work, the relationship between employers and workers became strictly labor-related and had as its sole objective the obtaining of benefits for both parties. The incorporation of machinery into work allowed not only to improve working conditions but also to improve communication and transportation in cities;
* Demographic-social changes : given the changes caused by new means of transportation and communication, many people concentrated in the city to work in factories ; the rest focused on agricultural areas that had implemented the changes we already talked about. In turn, thanks to improvements in agricultural production and the abundance of food, the health of citizens greatly improved, thus allowing population growth.