The Impact Of The Industrial Revolution On Imperialism

By Definition, a rapid major change in an economy (as in England in the late 18th century) marked by the general introduction of power-driven machinery, or by an important change in the prevailing types and methods of use of such machines.- Merriam- Webster This definition over simplifies the industrial revolution. In reality the Industrial Revolution was much more complex and encompasses many different aspects. With that said the events that led to the Industrial Revolution were even more complicated. How and why Great Britain was the first to lead the Revolution was multifaceted and involves many aspects of economic and social developments. The predisposition of easily acquired recourse and healthy state politics allowed Great Britain to prosper. A core piece of the Industrial revolution was the advent of new technology. This technology would increase the production and efficiency of all factories. As more and more people flooded the cities and towns the demand for more goods skyrocketed pushing civilization into a new age. The Industrial Revolution was a cycle that feed itself, with need came technology and with technology came need and through this process arose new society. What led Great Britain to become the first country to star in the Industrial Revolution, comes down to a complex system of factors. Each aspect holds a major role in the contribution in the growth of the Industrial Revolution and of Great Britain.

As Stephen Gardiner once said, “The industrial revolution was another one of those extraordinary jumps forward in the story of civilization.” The Industrial Revolution was in fact an extraordinary jump in the development of the U.S. It created a foundation for what the U.S is today socially, economically, and politically. The Industrial Revolution played a major role in the industrialization and modernization and still has effects to this day. These effects lead to more trade, better transportation, and modernization. It also had had many negative effects on America and England as well. These effects mainly focus on the social side of the Industrial Revolution. These effects include child labor, unfair wage, poor living conditions and poverty. When both the positive and negative effects are put together as a whole, the positive effects outweigh the negative. Mainly because they had a bigger effect on America and the world as a whole, and still affect us today. Because of the Industrial Revolution wages are more fair, living conditions are better, Manufacturing has drastically improved and children are no longer allowed to work in factories.

Therefore, one must understand how throughout the times of Imperialism, and Industrial Revolution, aspects such as working conditions, population expansion and colonial enhancement prove why advancements were beneficial to the modern world in the long run.

Prior to unfolding of the events in the 18th century the interlinkages of increasingly global world, stirred agrarian and rural society's. In particular, the families had begun to produce surplus and buying new commodities, which were hitherto, considered luxuries. This era of industrious revolution laid the foundation for the industrial revolution. The trade in this time to Europe was mainly spices from India, silk and porcelain from China and inspite of silver flowing in from Americas kept the balance in favour of the East. The capital and labour requirements were not intensive and the mercantile activities were primarily housed in the guilds. This essay attempts to understand how the industrial revolution impacted the commerce

The industrial revolution was not only technological revolution but a social one that would lie foundation that would grow the word “revolution” exponentially. The industrial revolution brought with it change, whether that change was positive or negative is questionable however it did change the world as it was known. In both England and the United States of America strong industrial revolutions struck, the revolutions would change roles in the household and society for both women and me and the ideologies held about gender roles. In both countries effected by the revolution, industrialization challenged religion and authority, the impact of which can still be seen today.

Another very important result of the industrial revolution was the advancement of European weaponry. It was mentioned in a previous module for this course how something of an arms race began in Western Europe as the societies were separating into different empires and nations. That would continue with European weapons advancing far beyond what any other societies could match, there is even the example of a small number of British soldiers defeating thousands of African soldiers in a matter of hours due to the invention of the maxim gun. The evolution of European weaponry played several important roles in relation to imperialism.

During the industrial revolution was also a time when imperialism was at its height. Because of all the inventions that were created during the industrial revolution, countries all over the world decided that they not only just needed money to keep their empire at large, they decided that they need more land. And so the countries and empires in Europe set out to conquer the country that was nearest to them, Africa. Not only did Africa had a large amount of people to sell for slaves, it had most of the materials and ingredients Europe needed to invent more inventions. And for this reason Europe was at competition with each other to gain more land and materials for their empire.

British cotton textile industry grew into the worlds most productive; its railway network became the nation’s principal means of inland transportation and communication; and a new fleet of steam-powered ships enabled Britain to project its new productivity and power around the globe.

During the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution changed how goods are produced and also changed the lives of the working class. Britain and France began to modernize and factories and towns began to become more urban. The industrial revolution had both positive and negative effects on our history. The Industrial Revolution had many positive impacts on Britain and France during its time.

The Industrial Revolution was a revolution in every sense of the word, as it altered almost every aspect of live in the nineteenth century including technology, government, communication, environment and eventually society as a whole.1 Although industrialisation created many positives for modern society, for people in Britain up to the end of the nineteenth century it had many significantly negative consequences. With the long term advances made for society came the then current development of overcrowding cities abundant with pollution, health problems and poor living conditions for the working class. These poor conditions continued into the work place with young children exploited as workers as young as the age of four or five.2 There were consequences of the Industrial Revolution for people outside of the core of Britain. India, being the periphery in the model were exploited for their raw materials which were exported to Britain.

The Industrial Revolution had many long-lasting effects on the English economy and society in the 1800s; the effects being both positive and negative. England’s industrialization resulted in urbanization, improved production, and better transportation, but also in poor living and working conditions for the working class, including many children. Industrialization in England made production of goods much more convenient, creating a greater demand for unskilled labor and a rapidly growing population. The population increase meant that more food was needed in order to feed everyone. In Document 5, Michael Mandelbaum explains that some rural labor was made “redundant,” causing many people to move to urban cities where they could find work in the new factories.

One reason why the Industrial Revolution had a negative impact on the world is because it started child labor. Child labor is when businesses and industries take kids from any age and make them work in dangerous and inhumane places. In the document from a British industrial worker, the Sadler Committee in 1832 investigated the workers’ conditions in British factories. It says, “ ‘... When did you first begin to work in the mills? When I was ten years of age … we began at five in the morning and stopped at nine at night … at times we were frequently strapped [whipped].’ ”. This statement from the document shows a negative impact in the Industrial Revolution because kids at young age are sent to work for long hours and are frequently whipped.

The Industrial Revolution was the main contributor of the development of factories and modern day machinery. The Industrial Revolution created hundreds of new jobs, influenced many new inventions, and created many new ways of creating and transporting goods. Many jobs including spinners, miners, factory workers, and farmers were beginning to rise in population, due to the new technology being created in the 18th and 19th centuries. The start of new inventions coming into view was beginning in Britain, with many agricultural tools creating new ways to plow and yield crops. Later on, it caused new forms of transportation to be developed, for example, railroads and canals. This essay will explain exactly how these causes began, and how they

The industrial revolution was a period (for the most part in Europe) where the old urban areas were modernizing and new advances were being designed quickly. Organizations were springing up all over the place and new advances made it less demanding to travel long separations. So why did this lead to imperialism?

The textile factory system of the United Kingdom was mainly located around the areas of Greater Manchester and the towns of Pennines and Lancashire. These areas would become the bedrock of the textile industry in Britain, as Rosen states: ‘The true industrialization of Britain, and subsequently, the world, depended on a commodity that could attract consumers not by the thousands, but the millions’ . A commodity, like, for example: cotton.