The Industrial Revolution: A Transformative Era
1. The Agrarian Revolution: Causes and Consequences
Causes
- Shift to a new agricultural system
- Increased use of draft animals
- Clearing of new land
- Introduction of new seeds
Consequences
- Increased land income and crop specialization
- Increased food production leading to population growth
- Surplus rural labor migrating to urban industrial centers
- Increased income leading to higher demand for manufactured goods and capital accumulation
2. The Link Between Agricultural and Demographic Revolutions
Increased agricultural production influenced the demographic revolution, impacting birth rates, death rates, labor, and urban growth. Changes in land ownership, introduction of machinery, new techniques, and new crops led to improved harvests, supporting a growing and better-fed population. This also resulted in reduced agricultural employment and capital accumulation in the hands of landowners, enabling investments in other economic sectors.
3. Conditions for the Industrial Revolution in Britain
The Industrial Revolution was fueled by economic liberalism, advocating for free markets and removal of obstacles to business development. A stable political regime (liberal monarchy), a stable currency, and an organized banking system further contributed to this economic boom. Abundant capital, generated from trade in goods like tea and tobacco, as well as the slave trade, also played a significant role.
4. Pioneering Machines, Energy Sources, and Industries
The flying shuttle marked an early advancement.
5. The Second Industrial Revolution
The Second Industrial Revolution saw the development of the chemical, electrical, oil, and steel industries. Key innovations included the internal combustion engine, the airplane, the automobile, mass production, mechanical refrigeration, and the telephone. Oil and electricity began to replace coal as cheaper and more efficient energy sources.
6. The Transportation Revolution
While early railways and steamboats appeared in the 19th century, the true revolution in transportation came with the rise of motor cars, steel-hulled ships, and aviation.
7. The Proletariat: Life in the Industrial Age
The proletariat, the lowest social class of the modern era, was forced to sell its labor to the bourgeoisie due to lack of ownership of the means of production.
8. Child and Female Labor in Mines and Factories
Women and children were employed in mines and factories due to their acceptance of very low wages.
9. The Labor Movement
The labor movement, emerging in the 18th century, aimed to improve working conditions for laborers due to the lack of protective laws in factories.
10. The Luddite Movement
The Luddite movement, starting in England around 1811, engaged in spontaneous and often disorganized revolts, frequently targeting the means of production. Luddites opposed technological advancements.
11. Key Concepts
Economic and Social Terms
- Proletariat: The social group lacking property, forced to sell their labor for wages.
- Journeyman: An agricultural worker earning a daily wage.
- Servant: A person serving a nobleman in conditions similar to slavery.
- Latifundio: A large, inefficiently managed farm.
Liberalism
- Law of Supply and Demand: The price formation mechanism where supply meets demand.
- Free Market: A system where prices are determined by mutual consent between buyers and sellers, governed by supply and demand.
Capitalist Business Organization
- Corporations: Businesses owned by shareholders through stocks.
- Mass Production: Producing large quantities of standardized goods, often using assembly lines.
- Assembly Line: A production method where each worker performs a specific task as the product moves along the line.
- Business Concentration: Groups of entities linked through agreements, mergers, and shared ownership under a parent company.
12. Marxist vs. Anarchist Thought
Key differences exist between Marxist thought (class struggle, surplus value, dictatorship of the proletariat) and Anarchist thought (direct action, self-management, rejection of authority).
13. Before and After the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution brought significant changes to population, agriculture, industry, and society.
14. Russian Village Life in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries
Russian society during this period was marked by stark contrasts. The peasantry lived in poverty and repression under the Tsars, while the aristocracy enjoyed a life of luxury.