The Industrial Revolution: Machines, Energy, and Societal Change

The Industrial Revolution: A New Era of Production

First Industrial Revolution (c. 1760-1840)

Key Innovations and Drivers:

• The Machine Age: The invention of new machinery marked a significant shift.
• Demographic Changes: Population growth and mortality rates influenced societal structures.
• Resource Availability: Abundant raw materials like coal and cotton were crucial.
• Improved Communication: A good network of communication facilitated trade and the spread of ideas.
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: A wealthy bourgeoisie was ready to invest capital.

Energy Sources and Industries:

• Steam Power: The steam engine, developed around 1782, revolutionized industry.
• Coal: Coal was the primary energy source for steam engines.
• Key Industries: Textiles and metallurgy were early beneficiaries.
• Transportation: The development of railroads (using the steam engine) transformed travel and trade.

Second Industrial Revolution (c. 1870-1914)

New Energy Sources and Industries:

• Petroleum: The internal combustion engine, powered by petroleum, emerged.
• Electricity: Electricity, generated by dynamos, provided a new power source.
• New Industries: Steel production, chemicals (fertilizers, pharmaceuticals), and aluminum became prominent.

New Production Systems:

• Mass Production: The assembly line (cadena de montaje) enabled the production of standardized goods in large quantities, significantly reducing production times.
• Industrial Concentration: Businesses formed cartels, trusts (mergers), and holding companies to consolidate power and control markets, leading to monopolies.

Transportation Advancements:

• Steamships and Railroads: Continued expansion and improvement.
• The Automobile and Airplane: Powered by the internal combustion engine, these innovations revolutionized personal and commercial transport.

Capitalism and Societal Structure

The Rise of Capitalism:

• A new economic system based on private property, profit maximization, and capital accumulation.
• Emphasis on free markets, competition, and international trade, with limited state intervention.

Social Classes:

• The Bourgeoisie: Owned the means of production, controlled economic activity, and enjoyed wealth and social status, often symbolized by large homes and elaborate lifestyles.
• The Proletariat: Owned only their labor force, which they sold for wages. Often faced poor working conditions, low pay, and lived in crowded housing. Families were often large, with children working from a young age.

The Labor Movement

Early Resistance:

• Luddites: Workers who destroyed machinery, fearing job displacement.

Development of Consciousness and Ideologies:

• Class Consciousness: Workers began to recognize their shared interests and grievances.
• Socialism: Advocated for better wages, working conditions, and social reforms.
• Communism: Based on Marxist theory, it envisioned a classless society with common ownership of the means of production.
• Anarchism: Criticized economic inequality and capitalism, advocating for individual freedom and the abolition of all forms of authority, including the state.

Key Texts and Thinkers:

• The Communist Manifesto (1848): Authored by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, it critiqued capitalism and proposed a path towards a communist society.
• Socialism: Utopian and Scientific: Further developed socialist and communist ideas.