Even though human history spans tens of thousands of years, most of the developments that have shaped today’s modern world have actually occurred in the last few centuries. Think about it, until the Industrial Revolution, people were farming just like in the primitive period. Moreover, before the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of large production systems, production was done manually.
Of course, as a natural process, at some point development was necessary because the ever-increasing population had to somehow survive. The expected environment was created when gold and resources arrived, ship by ship, from colonial countries. The political, economic and social structures whose foundations were laid with the Industrial Revolution actually shaped the modern world we live in today, even if we are not aware of it.
Let’s take a brief look first; What is the Industrial Revolution?
The period of industrial developments that emerged in Manchester, England in the 18th century and spread from there to Europe and then to the whole world is called the Industrial Revolution. The increasing number of new inventions at that time, the use of steam power in machines, the increase in the population and the economic developments; They are considered the main causes of the Industrial Revolution.
The general change in the world caused the Industrial Revolution:
- Population growth in Europe had accelerated since the 16th century.
- Due to developments in agriculture, migration to the city increased and a ready workforce was created.
- As even luxury goods became available to the public, the need for consumption increased.
- The European economy developed thanks to the gold received from America and other colonial countries.
- Resources taken from colonial countries began to be processed and sold back to these countries.
- The banking system was developed.
- The petty bourgeoisie developed and the middle class became rich.
- The rich began to look for new investment areas.
- Technological developments had accelerated.
- With the Protestant Reformation, the belief in hard work developed.
- The Age of Enlightenment, which began in the 17th century, was at its peak.
- New scientific methods were being developed.
- The foundation of a society suitable for industrial society had already been laid with the French Revolution.
It is possible to talk about many more reasons as the reasons for the Industrial Revolution, but the most basic reasons were the development of the economy, the development of technology and the social structure being suitable for this situation. Once the production and consumption balance was somehow on track, the rest seemed like a mess.
Why did the Industrial Revolution start in England? Here are the reasons:
- Protection of property rights and individual freedoms thanks to constitutional monarchy
- England became the economic center of the world in the 18th century
- Developing a free competition environment in the economic market
- Being rich in raw materials such as coal and iron
- Easy access to resources as it is the largest colonial empire in the world
- The Royal Navy’s development in maritime transportation
- The textile industry has developed since the Renaissance period
- Being an island country, it was able to stay away from the turmoil in Europe.
Since resources have a great role in the development of the industrial system, England has been one step ahead at this point. The kingdom was generally far from the chaos of Europe at that time and had all the necessary raw materials. For this reason, the Industrial Revolution could not be expected to take place anywhere else but in England.
The consequences of the Industrial Revolution, whose effects still continue today:
- Social structure changes
- Birth of new ideologies
- Urbanization
- Formation of mass society
Social structure changes:
With the Industrial Revolution, the structure of the bourgeois class in Europe completely changed and a new working class was born. The bourgeois class was now rich factory owners in every country. Meanwhile, the working class was in economic trouble. The middle class, on the other hand, was caught in the middle and became deprived of most political and social rights.
The economic, social and political rights of the working class, the most populous group in every society, are limited. The wages of the working class are low, working conditions are unfavorable and living conditions are inhumane. Even though some changes have occurred today, the working class was sometimes treated as a real slave in the early periods of the Industrial Revolution.
Birth of new ideologies:
The Industrial Revolution, which gave birth to the working class and the newly rich bourgeoisie, actually indirectly gave birth to socialism. As we have previously explained in full detail in our article here, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels established scientific socialism by developing the existing basic understanding of socialism. The aim is to eliminate human differences between classes.
Urbanization:
The population increased because the increase in mechanization in agriculture made it easier for people to feed, but because of mechanization, these people came to the city because they could not work in agriculture. An unprecedented urbanization structure was created with these people working in the factories established with the Industrial Revolution. These people, who did not find a place in the center of the city, created the slum culture by building houses in the outer parts of the city.
Formation of mass society:
Mass society was formed when people who were very different from each other came together for a specific purpose, namely to work in factories in the city. This new social structure, the effects of which we see much more clearly especially after the 20th century, also gave rise to innovations in the social field that we have not encountered before.
Okay, but why is the Industrial Revolution so important?
It would be fair to say that the capitalist system, which we see in effect all over the world today, was actually born with the Industrial Revolution. Since it was not possible to train employees for the crazy production cycle that emerged, women who had stayed away from the business world until then also found a place for themselves in working life. It wasn’t enough, even the children had to work.
Do not think about women’s involvement in business life under today’s conditions. Workers were forced to work 16 hours a day with no days off, earning just enough money to fill their stomachs. So these people had to work to survive, not because they wanted to work. If you were to go back to your village, they would no longer be able to find a job in agriculture.
Of course, things have changed a little more today, there are people who say human rights, but we are not so oppressed. However, production and consumption frenzy, exploitation of raw materials, sanctification of business life, the belief that everyone has to work, the idea that everyone has to live in the city, the negativities brought by mass society and many other capitalist system habits started with the Industrial Revolution.
We answered the question of what the Industrial Revolution is, one of the most important events in world history, and talked about its causes and consequences. Of course, industrialization is nice and all, but sometimes you can’t help but think, wouldn’t it be bad if we didn’t industrialize that much?
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