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What Is
Industrialization?
S i n c e earliest times p e o p l e have b e e n making tools to help t h e m carry o n their lives
m o r e efficiently. Until a few h u n d r e d years ago most of the tools a n d machines we used
had to be p o w e r e d by either people or animals. Fortunate groups of p e o p l e living in the
right places got h e l p from windmills or waterwheels. Nevertheless, most jobs required
m u s c l e power.:Industrialization changed all of that. Industrialization involves the use of
n e w s o u r c e s of p o w e r to r u n machinery in order to m a k e products. Industrialization
causes a c o m p l e t e c h a n g e in the way p e o p l e live. So it is often r e f e r r e d to ais a
r e v o l u t i o n — a n industrial revolution.
S o m e areas are still b e c o m i n g industrialized today. A s they d o , m a n y c h a n g e s take
p l a c e . T h e s e are the same c h a n g e s that o c c u r r e d in the first area to b e c o m e
i n d u s t r i a l i z e d — E n g l a n d . Historians usually see t h e English Industrial Revolution as a 100year p e r i o d (1750-1850). T h e same process o c c u r r i n g e l s e w h e r e at alter times h a p p e n s
m u c h m o r e quickly. Few places in the world today are u n t o u c h e d by industrialization.
W h a t are the c h a n g e s that result from industrialization? O n e w a y to answer this q u e s tion is to describe a " b e f o r e " and an " a f t e r " picture. England in 1700 was a place w h e r e
most p e o p l e e a r n e d their living through farming. Living in the c o u n t r y s i d e , they w e r e
probably m o r e in t o u c h w i t h — a n d definitely m o r e at the mercy o f — n a t u r e . Farmers
grew e n o u g h for t h e m s e l v e s a n d a few others. C l o t h i n g and h o u s e h o l d articles w e r e
h a n d m a d e and limited in n u m b e r and variety. T h e family was the basic e c o n o m i c unit,
using t h e goods p r o d u c e d by its m e m b e r s . T h e advantage went to t h e large, or e x t e n d e d ,
family, with many c h i l d r e n a n d relatives living together. Ediicatibn w a s chiefly a family
responsibility.
T w o h u n d r e d years later life was very different in England. T h r o u g h o u t the 19th c e n tury the pace of c h a n g e h a d q u i c k e n e d . M a n y of these changes w e r e d u e to industrialization. By 1900 many p e o p l e h a d e x c h a n g e d farm life for city life, w o r k i n g in factories
and o t h e r places of business. N o longer w e r e e n e r g y sources limited to muscle, w i n d ,
sun, a n d water. Steam, coal, oil, electricity, and other p o w e r sources lifted a t r e m e n d o u s
b u r d e n of work from p e o p l e . T h e y made it possible for e a c h p e r s o n to produce m o r e
through his or her labor. T h e quantity of goods p r o d u c e d was m u c h greater. I m p r o v e d
transportation and c o m m u n i c a t i o n made a greater variety of goods a n d ideas available to
more p e o p l e . People l o o k e d outward from their families for not o n l y e m p l o y m e n t but
also e d u c a t i o n and r e c r e a t i o n .
I
I
2.
C h a r t of C h a n g e s
Fill in the blank boxes in the chart and discuss y o u r answers with the class.
1
BEFORE
AFTER
INDUSTRIALIZATION
INDUSTRIALIZATION
S o u r c e s of
Power
•
W h e r e most
p e o p l e live
W h e r e most
people work
human, animal, wind,
water, s t e a m , c o a l ,
oil, gas, n u c l e a r e n e r g y
cities, s u b u r b s
farms
Principal
s o u r c e of
education
S o u r c e s of
f o o d and
clothing
handmade,
homegrown
S i z e of
families
S e n s e of time
i n f l u e n c e d by
nuclear (parent and
children—two
generations)
seasons, s u n u p
and s u n d o w n
M e a n s of
transportation
•
M e a n s of
communication
In order to b e c o m e industrialized (or e c o n o m i c a l l y d e v e l o p e d ) a country or area of
i h e world n e e d s to be ready. A certain c o m b i n a t i o n of factors must exist. These factors
are the same today as they were in England in tlie 18th century w h e n the first industrial
revolution took place. .
Industrializing countries need excess capital Capital usually m e a n s money. If p e o p l e
earn only e n o u g h money to support themselves they can never progress. If they are able
to accumulate excess capital, more than e n o u g h , they can invest thai money into new
projects. These, in turn, may produce more profits. For example, a farmer may receive
more m o n e y for his crops than is n e e d e d to support his family. H e can use his excess
capital to buy a n e w tractor. T h e tractor will allow h i m to p r o d u c e e v e n more crops. A n
e c o n o m y that has no excess capital is a subsistence e c o n o m y .
Industrializing countries n e e d available labor to work in new j o b s . If there are not
e n o u g h people willing and able to work the factories or railroads, they cannot be r u n .
A n o t h e r h u m a n resource is also n e c e s s a r y — t h e e n t r e p r e n e u r . T h e e n t r e p r e n e u r is a
risk taker, a person w h o sees new opportunities. H e or she is willing to take a c h a n c e ,
investing time and m o n e y , o n something that may not ever make m o n e y . T h e e n t r e p r e n e u r does this in the h o p e of making profits. Certain religious and social values increase
the likelihood of there being entrepreneurs.
Industrializing countries n e e d natural r e s o u r c e s and energy sources. For e x a m p l e , if
heavy machinery is going to b e made from steel, there must be available iron o r e and
coal, the natural resources from w h i c h steel is m a d e . T h e most vital natural resources for
developing nations are those that p r o d u c e p o w e r . T h e y i n c l u d e substances that c a n b e
b u r n e d — a b u n d a n t timber, oil, coal, natural gas. T h e y also i n c l u d e r e s o u r c e s like fastr u n n i n g water that can p r o d u c e electricity or fissionable materials that can create n u c l e a r
power.
Industrializing countries n e e d transportation and c o m m u n i c a t i o n . This network permits the passage of materials, labor, and ideas from o n e area to another. Individual
n e i g h b o r h o o d s cannot industrialize. It takes sizable areas to p r o d u c e the n e e d e d e l e ments for e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t . These areas must be tied together by transportation
a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n . T h e r e f o r e , areas that have g o o d navigable rivers, access to the s e a ,
people who speak the s a m e language, and no mountain barriers are at an advantage.
A stable g o v e r n m e n t is also necessary. N o one wishes to take a c h a n c e investing
m o n e y in an area w h e r e angry revolutionaries may burn d o w n buildings, w h e r e there is
no law a n d order.
In situations w h e r e all of these factors c o m e toijether, one small part of the e c o n o m y
will typically first b e c o m e d e v e l o p e d . N e w sourcer. of p o w e r will be applied to it to m a k e
it m o r e productive. Later, many more parts of the e c o n o m y will industrialize. H o w e v e r ,
n o n e of this can o c c u r if the basic factors n e e d e d tor industrialization are not present.
Activities for
1.
Understanding
M a k e a list of factors n e e d e d for i n d u s t r i a l i z c l i o n .
a.
e.
b.
f.
c.
g.
d.
h.
O f those listed, w h i c h o n e or two do y o u b e l i e v e to be most important?.
D e v e l o p i n g countries in Asia, A f r i c a , a n d Latin A m e r i c a often get aid from countries
that are already industrialized to build h y d r o e l e c t r i c dams, s t e e l plants, or other
projects. W h i c h factor or factors n e e d e d for industrialization a r e , in s u c h situations,
b e i n g s u p p l i e d from the outside?
Name o n e factor that may still b e missing a n d therefore m a k e the project fail to
p r o d u c e the d e s i r e d e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t .
•
W h y might it fail?
Match each term on the left with its correct definition on the right.
. i.
capital
. ii.
natural r e s o u r c e s
a.
m o n e y available to invest In s o m e thing that m a y m a k e m o r e m o n e y
b.
-iii.
entrepreneur
Jv.
subsistence e c o n o m y
. V.
labor
p e o p l e r e a d y , w i l l i n g , a n d a b l e to
work
c.
situation in w h i c h w h a t is p r o d u c e d
is only e n o u g h o n w h i c h to live
d.
a risk taker w h o s e goal is to m a k e
profits
e.
u s e f u l s u b s t a n c e s f o u n d in n a t u r e
Great Britain:
The First to
industriaiize
T h e first country to u n d e r g o industrialization was Great Br^fiin. O t ' - e r Western European countries and the U n i t e d States followed quickly with t h e beneiic of the British
model. The same process of industrialization goes on today in Asia, Africa; and Latin
America. Why was England the first to industrialize? Wfiat was unique and special a b o u t
the e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t of that country?
England was the first country in which all of the factors n e e d e d for industrialization
were present at the same time. It h a p p e n e d in the e;;;iy 18th century,
Excess capital was available for industrial development b e c a u s e of two kinds of e c o nomic activity already in process. These were overseas trade and the agricultural revolution. Great Britain had built a colonial empire in the 17th century using mercantilistic
policies. Profits were e n o r m o u s . Less dramatic, but just as important, were increased
profits from agriculture. Landowning nobles d e v e l o p e d n e w ways of increasing p r o d u c tivity of both crops and animals.
A trend toward fencing off farmland started in the early 18th century and continued
through the 19th century in England. Called the e n c l o s u r e m o v e m e n t , it increased farm
productivity. It also pushed poor, landless farm woi-'kers off the soil and out of work.
These jobless people provided a source of labor for the Industrial Revolution.
England after the Tudors of the 16th century was a Protestant country with a social system far less rigid than that of any of its neighbors. Protestantism (especially Puritanism)
taught that success in life was just one more indication of moral virtue. A good person
did not have to wait for his or her rewards in h e a v e n . T h e Puritan ethic stressed hard
work a n d thrift. These religious ideas were an e n c o u r a g e m e n t to entrepreneurs. Investors did not have to be at odds with their religion w h e n pursuing a life of e c o n o m i c gain.
Also, in British society the money-making businessman was not looked d o w n on. Sons of
noble families, particularly younger sons w h o w o u l d not inherit the land, could go into
business with no loss of respect. French nobles,, by contrast, saw business activity as
c o m m o n and bourgeois, it was, they felt, beneath their class.
England had many natural resources. It had timber and coal for burning, inland
waterways for transportation and water power, and an island location with natural harbors facilitating trade.
T h e evolutionary process of political change in England had p r o d u c e d a stable
g o v e r n m e n t . Politically united as a nation since the 16th century, English people were
ready to b e economically united in the 18th.
O n e industry had to begin the process of industrialization, "get the ball rolling." In
England that industry was cotton textiles. For years u n d e r a domestic system, spinning
a n d weaving had b e e n d o n e in the h o m e . This was an additional activity for families
w h o s e principal livelihood came from farming. Jobbers delivered raw materials to the
h o m e s of workers, w h o spun it or wove it and returned the finished goods. A few clever
inventors fiddled with ways of doing the spinning a n d weaving more quickly with new
gadgets. T h e s e gadgets c o u l d be powered by water if placed in a factory near a waterfall.
T h e m o r e efficient s p i n n i n g and weaving machinery c o u l d be p o w e r e d by a steam
e n g i n e . T h e n the factories c o u l d be located a n y w h e r e , whether or not there was running
water. T h e n e e d for cotton and w o o ! fiber increased dramatically o n c e spinning and
weaving could be done quickly. C l o t h , produced in much greater quantity, could be sold
within or outside Great Britain. T h e i a d o r y system was born.
A n y industry might have b e g u n the process ol industrialization. In England it was textiles. S o o n the factory system spread to other aspects of (he e c o n o m y . The Industrial
Revolution m o v e d ahead at full s p e e d .
Activities for
1.
Understanding
Fill in the blanks.
a.
The two major sources of excess capital iin England in the 18th century were
and
b.
S o m e of England's natural resources that made it a good candidate for industrialization were
c.
:
Even b e f o r e the Industrial Revolution, transportation and c o m m u n i c a t i o n were
good within England a n d b e t w e e n England and other countries b e c a u s e
d.
In contrast to France, E n g l a n d had a social system more likely to p r o d u c e e d u .
cated b u s i n e s s p e o p l e with capital because in England
e.
T h e d o m i n a n t religion in England by 1800 was
f.
T h e form of g o v e r n m e n t in England by 1800 v/as
g.
T h e first industry to use the n e w techniques of the Industrial Revolution in England was
2.
.
.
E x a m i n e carefully the c o n s t r u c t i o n of one item of clothing you wear. Construction
m a y b e w o v e n (horizontal a n d vertical interlaced threads), knitted (rows of interl o c k e d loops), or fused (fibers p r e s s e d together like felt). The raw materials may be
natural ( w o o l , cotton, or linen) or manufactured (polyester, nylon, D a c r o n , etc.).
N o w a n s w e r the following q u e s t i o n s .
a.
i t e m of c l o t h i n g ?
b.
construction?
c.
type of fiber?
d.
h a n d m a d e or m a c h i n e m a d e ?
Results of
Industrialization
Industrialization in G r e a t Britain and e l s e w h e r e has brought w i t h it great hardship and
unhappiness. It has also brought benefits. It is h e l p f u l to c a t e g o r i z e results. T h e r e have
b e e n short-term, or i m m e d i a t e , results {effects that w e r e felt w i t h i n 20 years or so of the
introduction of the factory system). T h e r e have also b e e n l o n g - t e r m results (delayed
effects, some of w h i c h are still with us today).
The most alarming short-term effert of industrialization in E n g l a n d was, of course, the
harsh conditions of l a b o r — l o n g hours and extremely l o w w a g e s . C l u s t e r e d together in
slums, workers were at the mercy of factory o w n e r s . At the s a m e time the availability of
cheap cotton clothing h a d an immediate beneficial effect on p e o p l e ' s lives. M a n y p e o p l e
for the first time w e r e able to afford to have a c h a n g e of c l o t h i n g . C o t t o n clothes, u n l i k e
w o o l , could be w a s h e d . T h e r e f o r e , sanitation w a s i m p r o v e d . T h e d e a t h rate went d o w n .
Long-term benefits w e r e e x p e r i e n c e d also. Eventually the g o v e r n m e n t i n t e r v e n e d o n
behalf of the w o r k e r .
British Laws
Factory Laws
1802
Illegal to e m p l o y c h i l d r e n u n d e r nine in c o t t o n factories for m o r e than 12 h o u r s
1842
.1860
Illegal to e m p l o y w o m e n a n d c h i l d r e n in coal mines
Illegal to e m p l o y factory w o r k e r s m o r e than 10
h o u r s a day
U n i o n Laws
1825
W o r k e r s permitted to j o i n u n i o n s , but not to strike
1875
U n i o n s w o n the right to strike
Reform Act
1867
City workers granted the right to vote
It can be argued that the life of the p o o r had always b e e n difficult, but that the I n d u s trial Revolution m a d e society a w a r e of bad c o n d i t i o n s and begin to do s o m e t h i n g about
t h e m . W h e n workers finally w o n the right to vote, they c o u l d use their n e w v o i c e in
g o v e r n m e n t to get n e e d e d h e l p .
O t h e r s say that the life of the w o r k e r in industrialized society is still u n p l e a s a n t . T h e y
point to the problems of u n e m p l o y m e n t a n d lack of j o b satisfaction. As industries
b e c o m e more aut om at ed with m a c h i n e s r u n n i n g m a c h i n e s , labor n e e d s are c h a n g i n g . A
person trained to be a k e y p u n c h operator may find after a few years of e m p l o y m e n t that
his or her job is obsol et e ( o u t d a t e d ) . That p e r s o n is t h e n u n e m p l o y e d a n d in n e e d of
n e w training, but p e r h a p s u n a b l e to afford s u c h training. A h i g h - p a y i n g job on an a u t o m obile assembly line may b e c o m e very b o r i n g a n d u n p l e a s a n t . W o r k e r s may t h e n b e
absent frequently, p e r f o r m p o o r l y w h e n present, a n d suffer e m o t i o n a l p r o b l e m s .
O t h e r problems c r e a t e d by industrialization i n c l u d e pollution, o v e r p o p u l a t i o n , and
the military capability of total s e l f - d e s t r u c t i o n . W h e t h e r or not w e feel that the benefits
of industrialization o u t w e i g h t h e evils, we c a n n o t turn back the c l o c k . Industrialization
c a n n o t be u n d o n e .
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