Social and Economic Changes from Industrialization

Consequences of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution brought about profound changes. Key consequences included:

• International Relevance

  The international standing of countries began to be measured by their level of industrialization.

• Economic Activities

  Economic activities like agriculture, commerce, and the financial system received an impulse with the introduction of new technology.

• Urban Expansion

  Factories were situated in towns, leading people to emigrate from rural areas to look for work, causing significant urban growth.

• Science and Technological Research

  Increased focus on scientific and technological research aimed at finding new methods, techniques, and materials.

Key industries included the exploitation of mineral resources, the textile industry, and the railway system.

The New Class Society

One of the most important consequences of the Industrial Revolution was the radical transformation of society. Members of the aristocracy kept their status due to the lands they owned, but factory owners, merchants, and businessmen became a new wealthy middle class.

The proletariat was a new class composed of farmers and laborers who moved to urban areas. Their living conditions were often poor. They had no protection against illness, no pension, and received low salaries.

The Labour Movement

Workers began to organize societies with the purpose of helping each other in case of accident, illness, or unemployment. Some of these workers, such as the Luddites, turned to more violent forms of protest, breaking the machines that mechanized traditional work in the textile industry.

Trade unions were created. These groups fought for the improvement of working conditions and demanded political rights, such as the right to strike.

Socialism and Anarchism

The ideas of socialism were developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. They believed it was necessary to abolish everything that created class divisions. They proposed imposing a dictatorship of the proletariat to reorganize society into a classless system where property would be collectively owned.

Anarchism was developed by Mikhail Bakunin, among others. Anarchists sought to achieve the maximum degree of personal freedom. They believed the state, private property, and religion restricted freedom and therefore had to be abolished.

The First International (International Workingmen's Association - IWA) was created in 1864 in London to fight against capitalism at an international level. However, these efforts failed due to disputes between the different groups, and the organization was dissolved in 1876.