Industrial Revolution: Transforming Society, Economy, and Technology

Industrial Revolution (1750-1860)

The Industrial Revolution was a process transforming energy sources into mechanical work using machines, leading to mass production and surplus. This era witnessed significant changes:

• Climate & Demographics: Population growth, urbanization, and agricultural advancements.
• Trade & Transportation: Increased internal and external trade, growth of exchanges, and improved transportation.
• Machines: Powering factories and workshops.

Stages of Industrial Revolution

• 1st Stage (1750-1860): Steam, coal, and iron ore.
• 2nd Stage (1860-1914): Electricity, oil, internal combustion engine, and steel.

Agricultural Transformations

• Norfolk system, new housing, and new crops from America (e.g., potatoes).
• New tools and increased productivity, shifting from subsistence agriculture to market capitalism.
• Social changes: Large landowners became farmers, while laborers migrated to cities as workers.

Urban Changes

• New neighborhoods for the wealthy emerged, while peasants and workers occupied older city areas.
• Small towns remained the poorest, and a significant portion of the British population emigrated to Ireland.

Key Industrial Sectors

Textile Industry

• Emergence of cotton textile workshops and the use of Indianas (printed cotton fabrics).
• Artisans secured the prohibition of Indianas imports, leading to British imports of raw cotton.
• Cotton became favored for its flexibility, insulation, hygiene, and strength, leading to industrialization of the sector.

Iron and Steel Industry

• Increased demand for iron due to spinners, weavers, machines, tools, materials, mining, agriculture, ships, and railroads.
• Growth of steel production.

Mining

• Coal became essential for steam production, starting with the use of carborane ore in 1709.
• Intense mining activities became crucial.

Workers' Struggle

The Industrial Revolution led to the emergence of a new social class and challenging working conditions:

Working and Living Conditions

• Private Life: Reduced living spaces, minimal furniture, cold, damp, dark, no running water, often shared by multiple families, and shared outdoor toilets.
• Neighborhoods: Narrow, unpaved streets with poor sanitation.
• Working Conditions: 12-14 hour workdays, 365 days a year, without safety or hygiene measures, very low wages, and women and children paid less than men.
• Life Expectancy: Bourgeoisie life expectancy was 48 years, while workers' expectancy was only 24 years due to disease and harsh conditions.

Social and Political Movements

Communism and Anarchism

• Differed in their approach to the state and hierarchy.
• Both advocated for abolishing the state, political parties, private property, and social classes.

Cultural and Economic Developments

Realist Art

• Originated in France in the mid-19th century, aiming to depict reality objectively.
• Focused on everyday characters like peasants and workers, avoiding heroic symbols and idealization.

Capitalism

• An economic system based on private property, profit, and competition.
• Adam Smith advocated for economic liberalism, where the state should not intervene in the economy but ensure freedom for entrepreneurs.

Steam Railway

• Steam-powered carriages on rails for transporting large quantities of passengers and freight.