Similarities Between Great Britain And Western European Cities During The 19th Century

During the Industrial Revolution the urban population saw a major increase, mainly because of people needing a job in order to support the family and pay for basic necessities. As people began to move into small towns, these towns turned into large cities that mass produce goods like iron and coal. One of the largest growing cities

An outburst in growth of America’s big city population, places of 100,000 people or more jumped from about 6 million to 14 million between 1880 and 1900, cities had become a world of newcomers (551). America evolved into a land of factories, corporate enterprise, and industrial worker and, the surge in immigration supplied their workers. In the latter half of the 19th century, continued industrialization and urbanization sparked an increasing demand for a larger and cheaper labor force. The country's transformation from a rural agricultural society into an urban industrial nation attracted immigrants worldwide. As free land and free labor disappeared and as capitalists dominated the economy, dramatic social, political, and economic

(Pg. 142, Massey) However in the United States, the industrial revolution did not occur until about early nineteenth century. The industrial revolution brought three significant developments that would later lead to urbanization. The first being transportation or more so the expansion of transportation, with the American industrial revolution, came when steam engine trains were created. Trains allowed for people travel from one end of the country to the other, making it easier for young adults and others to break away from their family and start a life all of their own. The second significant development was electricity or to be more precise electric generators and other ways to safely and successfully harness power. With this came elevators and the ability to create massive skyscrapers. (Pg. 149, Massey) Making it possible for cities to grow to size that before were unimaginable. The amount of people living in these urban cities skyrocketed. The third and final significant development that would eventually lead to urbanization was the creation of factories. More so the ability to break down production into smaller steps allowing plants to produce more at a lower cost. Which eventually would lead to the division of labor. (Pg. 143,

The Industrial Revolution created opportunities for cities to prosper and as industrialization popularized, Manchester established a name for itself. As the enclosure movement forced countless farmers out of work, people flocked to the city where newly built factories offered a plethora of jobs. Manchester bustled with business and surrounding areas wanted to work with them because, “... no part of England, not even London, presents such remarkable and attractive features as Manchester, the Workshop of the World”(9). If one was willing to look past the impact the revolution was having on laborers, an outsider could not

The Industrial Revolution not only changed business and economics, but urban lifestyle. The changes occurring were mostly negative, however, and constructed a need for reform. These were times where the product and consumer demand drove business, not socialist working reforms This is all best seen in Manchester where worker’s living conditions deteriorated to improve the business until they were initially met with meager reform, all while the city kept expanding to accomodate. The worker’s living conditions largely deteriorated as Manchester was forced to expand.

At the culmination of the nineteenth century in the United States, industrialization was transforming cities at a lightning pace. With a flurry of immigration and expansion, urban populations were multiplying by the decade, at a rate twice the speed of the total American population. In 1860, the city of Chicago had a mere 100,000 residents but by 1890 had exploded to harbor over one million people. Immigration from southern and eastern Europe had skyrocketed over these few decades, bringing a new working class and a new backbone for the American industrial economy. This burgeoning industrial system proved to be very attractive for immigrants across the globe, drawing in

However, in the Industrial Revolution, the rapid urban growth caused more trouble. For instance, the rapid growth worsened long-standing over-crowding and unhealthy living conditions and posed frightening challenges for society (Mckay et al., 2012). In other words, the lower classes that immigrated from the farm lands didn’t live a better life. The urbanization was a too rapid movement for the government to react/ response to the challenges and needs for the society.

The Industrial Revolution had millions of people migrating to the city. Some moved from a town in hope of finding work while others moved from one country to another in a search for better lives. Although, a small percentage of people were forced as a punishment of crime.

First, the expanding of agricultural production led to the rise of population. For instance, the Britain's population tripled during the 19th century. The Industrial Revolution increased the life expectancy among all classes. The textile factories helped people, including the poor ones, afford cloth at cheaper prices. (Merriman, 515) The geographic feature of Great Britain also shifted to the process of industrialization. Great Britain had many natural harbors and was rich in minerals. Thus, new transportation methods were developed and factories were built by the availability of source powers. (Merriman, 513-524) As more and more factories were built in the city, transportation was improved by the building of roads and canals, the inventions of steam locomotive and steam engines, as well as the grew of railroads. People from the rural areas started to migrate to the city seeking for jobs in the factories, hence, led to the increasing in urbanization. (Merriman,

Throughout the European Industrial Revolution, Manchester, England perfectly represents the benefits and negative effects of the Industrial Revolution. For example, there were more job openings and businesses grew fast. This helped with the urbanization of Manchester and other cities like it. Urbanization is the process a city goes through to become more urban. However it also represented

Movement of merchandise in and out of cities before the industrial revolution required access to harbor or rivers which limited city size and location but as train routes were expanded, factories and housing could be placed and constructed in ways never before considered. Now industry could

Imagine a country side, the rolling hills, and small cottages that scatter throughout the land. A rural life in England, while something new was approaching the once serene world. This was a new world that was defined by steel and coal. Life in the western part of the world changed forever. In Great Britain the Industrial Revolution began. It brought power driven machinery and factory organization, which led to rapid development of communication, transportation, and urbanization. The Industrial Revolution took manufacturing out of the home and replaced handwork. Having many pros and cons, but without the Industrial Revolution we would not use the same methods of transportation, agriculture and communication as we use

Europe experienced a rapid population growth during this time period that although wasn’t a direct result of the Industrial Revolution, was indirectly involved due to factors such as a decline in death rates due to increased food supply. The population growth was essential to the factories of the time, providing the surplus of labor that was needed. Since the majority of factories were located in cities, a rapid shift to urbanization occurred since workers were moving to the cities to work in the factories. New social classes such as the industrial middle class and the industrial working class emerged as a direct result of the Industrial Revolution. The working class were subjected to extremely harsh conditions in the factories.

Usually, different countries have different circumstances that can affect their economic development. However, United Kingdom in the 19th century and United States in the 20th century have almost the same economic history background. In the early 19th century, Britain had suffered through nearly 25 years of war against the Napoleon’s France. Napoleonic Wars started in 1973 to 1815 and had major economic effects such as large price effects, inflation, and seriously in debt (O’Rourke, 123). Napoleonic Wars was an example of wartime finance in history because war expenditures were paid through borrowing. Britain borrows substantial cheap credit to finance the war that had a low interest compared to France (Bordo and White, 1). Therefore, after

The eighteenth century saw a population explosion in England and Wales with the English populace growing from 5.05 million in 1701 to 8.7 million in 1801. The population level was reasonably inert in the first half of the century with only an increase to 5.77 million in 1751, the main population growth occurred from 1751 until the mid nineteenth century, by which point it had reached a staggering 16.8 million. There is debate by historians as to whether the growth in population over this period is due to the fall in the mortality rate or the rise in fertility rates. While it is certainly true that both did take place there are factors to be considered as to why they occurred. Immigration and emigration would also normally be considered