Industrial Revolution and the Fall of Absolutism

Causes of the Industrial Revolution

• Craftsmanship Tradition: England had a long tradition of craftsmanship and the invention of essential tools.
• Imperial Power: They were the most significant imperial power, fostering trade through free-trade capitalism and supply-demand relations.
• Natural Resources: An abundance of coal, iron mines, and small waterfalls for hydropower.
• Scientific Development: Extensive scientific advancements supported industrial growth.
• Capital for Mechanization: Large merchandise trade provided sufficient capital to encourage mechanization and its application to industrial production.
• Labor Supply: A significant quantity of labor transitioned from craft production.
• Colonial Expansion: Markets grew steadily by stimulating production through colonial expansion.

Consequences of the Industrial Revolution

• Increased Productivity: A permanent increase in the production and productivity of various goods.
• Factory Concentration: Production became concentrated in medium and large factories.
• Rise of the Bourgeoisie: It allowed for the emergence and development of the industrial bourgeoisie.
• Urbanization: Accelerated the process of human population concentration in cities.
• Sector Integration: Promoted the application of industrial methods to transport, agriculture, and trade.
• The Proletariat: Enabled the emergence of the proletariat as a new social class of factory workers.
• Economic Liberalism: Enhanced the development of economic liberalism, as seen in The Wealth of Nations.
• Political Liberalism: Accelerated political liberalism and the struggle against absolutist monarchs.
• Social Movements: Promoted the emergence of the labor movement, socialism, scientific socialism, and Marxism.

The Crisis of Absolutism

The undermining of absolutism began in England in 1680 with the implementation of a constitutional monarchy, while absolutist structures were still being strengthened elsewhere in Europe.

Key Political Thinkers

• John Locke: Advocated for the equality of men and popular sovereignty.
• Rousseau and Montesquieu: Proposed republican and democratic governments arising from popular sovereignty.

Two Basic Facts of the Crisis

• American Independence (1776)
• French Revolution (1789)

Consequences of the Crisis

These events put the ideas of Republican thinkers into practice:

• All men are equal before the law.
• The sovereignty resides in the people, who choose their rulers.
• Recognition of individual rights, including liberty, property, and safety.

Independence Movements in the Colonies

The independence movements in the American colonies were the outcome of an evolutionary process that lasted through 300 years of European domination, especially by the Spanish.

Defining Colonization

Colonization is understood as the operation of land and the exploitation of resources by individuals of the same nation or from abroad to take advantage of them.