...century was a time of significant social, cultural and economic change for Europe. The century included both the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. They transformed demographics, working methods and economic structures. Their consequences impacted on the family income, both in terms of how money was earned and who in the family earned it. One of the consequences of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolution was a shift in populations to more urban areas. The revolution also impacted on the self-sufficient economy of rural life with increased reliance on industrial employment. This essay will examine these changes and discuss how they impacted on women and the family. This will be achieved by examining the changes in gender roles and, in particular, changes to women’s roles in the family and society and how this directly impacted on the shape and function of the family. The aim is to explore the cultural and economic shift in eighteenth century society from a mainly rural, agrarian society to and more urban, industrialises society. The essay will also consider how these changes impacted on family life during this period. The issue which this essay focuses on is; that as women and children began to play a greater role in the work place the shape and function of family changed. Eighteenth century life was dependant on agriculture. During the early years of the century over eighty percent of the population were living in rural areas. Although there were demographic changes occurring...
Words: 2902 - Pages: 12
...ANNOTATED SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR HISTORICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN BRITAIN Gerard M Koot History Department University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Allen, Robert C., The British Industrial Revolution in a Global Perspective, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Pp. viii, 331. Allen’s book is an excellent example of the persuasiveness of the new economic history. It is solidly rooted in statistical data and uses sophisticated methods of economic analysis but its analysis is presented in plain English. He argues that the first industrial revolution occurred in northwestern Europe because its high wages during the early modern period encouraged technological innovation. Although high wages were initially a consequence of the demographic disaster of the Black Death, they were reinforced during the early modern period by the economic success of the region around the North Sea, first, in European trade and manufacturing, especially in wresting the textile industry from the Italians, and then in world trade. According to Allen, the first industrial revolution took place in Britain instead of the Low Countries primarily because of Britain’s abundant and cheap coal resources, combined with the central government’s ability to use mercantilist policies and naval power to reap the greatest benefits from an expanding European and world trade. Once it had taken the lead from the Dutch, and defeated the French, Britain used its comparative advantage...
Words: 27796 - Pages: 112
...As Europe entered the mid-19th Century it found itself growing in new ways that, before did not seem possible. The 19th century brought industrialization which would change how society and the economy functioned. With the initiation of the Industrial Revolution life declined for men, women, and children, through the increase of regulations, poverty, health problems, and the slow dissolution of the once tight family unit ideal. The Industrial Revolution resulted with many individuals having their work replaced by faster and more efficient machinery. Prior to industrialization, one of the systems that ran much of the economy was the putting out system. According to Alexandre Frederic (the Duke of La Rochefoucauld) in one of his writings, the putting out system was family run and a manual production which occurred in the home, once the product was completed, it was then prepared for trading which the family was also in charge of (Document 5, 153-154). The putting out system was a system that required the whole family to work together and do their...
Words: 1959 - Pages: 8
...Women and the Industrial Revolution Harriet Robinson, who worked as a factory worker in Lowell, once wrote in her autobiography that “[mill life] lets...[society] see the women as active participants in their own lives” (Halsall 2). Nothing could be more true. Lowell, Massachusetts, a city filled with mills powered by the Merrimack River, became the country’s dream- a place where industry and economy flourished (“At the Clang”). As with Lowell, girls from New England flocked to mills and factories in search of a better life and new opportunities (“At the Clang”). Although some may claim that factory life was a negative experience and hurt the mill girls, it is clear that the Industrial Revolution impacted the lives of American workers in a positive way, for they gained more independence, stood up for their rights, and, overall, were able to become more informed by working in factories and mills...
Words: 1350 - Pages: 6
...The Industrial revolution had the long term effect of greatly improving the living standards for common people in Britain. There is however a constant debate on whether or not the British living standards rose during the early part of the Industrial Revolution (1770-1850). The optimists generally believed that the industrialization brought higher wages, and a better standard of living. T.S. Ashton suggested that for the majority of the population, the gain in real wages was substantial, and outweighed the negative effects brought by industrialization. Pessimists argue that the quality of life for workers deteriorated greatly between 1780 and 1850, with very limited improvements for some skilled sectors before the 1870’s. This purpose of this paper is to analyze the debate from an economic and social perspective. We will examine both arguments and prove that although there was a rise in real wages, that rise was not as high as many optimists believe, and that the rise in real wages did not mean that the living standards of the average citizen were necessarily improved. This paper will substantiate that the benefits resulting from the rise in real wages, did not outweigh the costs that followed. We will examine how pollution, poor working conditions, and an overall lack of basic human rights and equality, plagued the British population and did not initially raise the living standards of the average person in Britain. The majority of debates between pessimists and optimists...
Words: 2789 - Pages: 12
...Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution transformed the way Europeans and Americans thought, lived, and worked. It brought new ideas that spurred movements across the lands, changing not only individuals, but societies and nations. Factories were built, imperialism became prominent, transportation was transformed, economies shifted, laws were reformed, and education improved all during this tumultuous time. After the Industrial Revolution, life around the world changed. The revolution first started making its impact as factories were being built all around Britain. Before, a family would all work together by hand to make textiles at their own, leisurely pace in a comfortable setting. This changed when machines were implemented, expediting work; but they were expensive and bulky, so they had to be located in one place where people would commute to: a factory. As a result of factory work, attitudes toward work changed negatively, but speed and efficiency was increased, and many more textiles could be produced. Eventually, the United States saw the potential in industrializing and it stole factory ideas from the successful factories in Britain by posing as investors. The United States then set up its own prosperous factories that particularly thrived in New England because it had the factors of production: land, labor, and capital. Overtime, Lowell, Massachusetts became the leading center of textiles—the commodity American industry was based on. The factories in...
Words: 1908 - Pages: 8
...Rogers November 10, 2014 History 105: Contemporary U.S. History Dr. Reeves Introduction The Industrial revolution improved the American lifestyle all the while causing many problems along the way. The Industrial Revolution contributed to the growth of cities and their economy. This created more jobs thus causing for workers to move their families to the northern regions of the country for work on farms or factories. The Industrial Revolution also contributed to many aspects that negatively affected some Americans’ working conditions, living situations, rate of pay, cause of death and illnesses and many other problems for the American people. Major Aspects of Industrialization Three major aspects of industrialization during 1865 and 1920 were society, economy and politics. American society changed when the civil war was over and there was a need for jobs. Big companies, like Ford and Rockefeller, and railroads were coming into play now. This changed US society from being mainly an agricultural society to where factories and manufacturing was now in control. With these big changes going on, many Americans left their homes to find jobs in farming and factories. The standard of living went up. This, in some ways, improved people’s daily lives. However, there were many negative affects; for example, to the environment, such as pollution, work hours were extremely long, job environments were dangerous and living conditions were horrible. The American economy...
Words: 1445 - Pages: 6
...HOW DID INDUSTRIALISATION AFFECT THE HEALTH OF THE BRITISH WORKERS? The Industrial Revolution is often referred to as a key period in the economic and social history of Britain. Industrialisation refers to the gradual change from traditional, agricultural methods to those involving some form of mechanised, factory based production. Britain was the first nation in the world to go through the process of becoming industrialised. The industrial Revolution is thought to have begun at some time in the 18th century, and continued to the 20th century. Historical evidence shows that, during this period, industrialisation transformed British society and the lives of British people. Social transformation did not happen suddenly,as though one Britain was a pre-industrial, agricultural society and next it was ‘indusrtialised’. There was a gradual change in methods of production and the location of people’s work that combined with other important social, political and economic developments-are linked to the developments of major health and social welfare problems. This essay is going to look at how industrialisation At the beginning of the 18th century, Britain was primarly an agricultural country with most people living in rural areas. The population of Britain was only 9 million, but was about to expand rapidly. The majority of workers and industries operated within domestic system. This involved people working in their own homes to produce goods, or components of goods, and also to...
Words: 3626 - Pages: 15
...The most impressive aspect of the film Hard Times is its ability to accurately paint the divide between the upper and middle class during the industrial revolution without explicitly doing so. According to depictions in the film, working and living in an industrialized city was less than desirable. It was a time of poor work conditions, unfair wages, and unequal rights for women. It never explicitly addresses the poor work conditions in the film, but it’s evident they exist when the “hands” turn to the smooth talking union spokesman Slackbridge to attempt to unionize. The low wages is evident for both men and women at two different parts during the film. In the first part of the film, Louisa is forced to marry Josiah Bounderby because as her father puts it, “he has a substantially higher income then she’ll ever be able to earn.” Also, a worker in the factory named Stephen falls in love with a girl named Rachael, but is unable to obtain a divorce from his estranged wife because only the wealthy can afford them. It’s also evident from the film that life in early-industrialized cities was a time of unequal rights for woman. The women were subject to their man’s authority and wishes throughout the film. An example of this is where Bounderby, upset when he finds out that Louisa doesn’t love him, goes on a huge rant to Louisa’s father about how he can’t let her go because it would ruin his reputation and Louisa doesn’t appreciate him or all he’s done for her. Based on my interpretation...
Words: 536 - Pages: 3
...industrialization has improved, so has communications and transportation methods. With all these improvements, Americans were able to increase production of their materials and allowed businesses to expand. We have encountered many problems amongst ourselves whether it has been for the better or, the worse. We have seen changes in our political system, the economy, and in our society. This period has influenced everything or everyone in its path, and how you were affected hinged on what particular region of the country you lived. “Together, these events revolutionized the way Americans lived, no matter which region they called home.” (Schultz, 2013). Industrialization after the Civil War When the Civil War was over, the United States was changed into a more industrialized nation due to industrialization that was being created. The three broad aspects of development I feel that influenced the US between 1865 and 1920 are the economy, politics, and society. The economy, however, was significantly impacted because we started out mostly as an agricultural country but as the 1800’s ended our industries were expanding. By the 1900’s, we were becoming the world’s chief industrial authority. The northern states developed more quickly than the southern ones because they focused on increasing their productivity. The Industrial Revolution is being described as the change in the way that goods were made and sold, as the businessmen...
Words: 2323 - Pages: 10
...Functionalists is a social structure theory in sociology about our society in order to help us understand how it works. Murdock was a functionalist that argued that family (nuclear was seen as the norm) performs four essential functions to meet the needs of the society and its members. The first of those being stable satisfaction of the sex drive. This means that partners will only have sexual relations with each other to prevent social disruption caused by ‘free-for-all’. The second function is reproduction of the next generation, if this did not happen then society would cease to exist. The third function is socialisation of the young, which is making young people share society's version of the norms and values. Lastly, is meeting economic needs, as the family consumes food and need shelter, they are contributing to the economy. The welfare state is where the government or state take responsibility for people’s well being, especially their basic minimum needs. It includes various benefits to provide a minimum income as well as the NHS(national health service), state education and council housing. Ronald Fletcher argues that the welfare state supports the family in performing its functions more effectively. For example, the existence of the National Health Service means that with the help of doctors, nurses, hospitals and medicines, the family today is better able to take care of its members when they are sick. Parsons argues that the dominant structure of the family...
Words: 706 - Pages: 3
...Jordan Sherlock HIS 102 Kevin Nehil 4/18/12 Industrial Revolution You could ask almost anyone in the world if they have ever heard of the Industrial Revolution and chances are most would agree that they have. Some people may not know when or how it started or perhaps even where it started. One thing all of the people may have is an opinion; these people have an opinion about whether or not they believe that it was a good thing or a bad thing for the world. The Industrial Revolution, much like anything else in the world, had both its perks and flaws. Overall, it was a great thing. It not only modernized the world to better suit the way humans live, but it also made improvements to make technology more competitive to make better products. To better help create your own opinion one must first know some background about the Industrial Revolution and how this life changing era began. The Industrial Revolution began in Western Europe during the early to mid 18th century. With this, came a “new” and more modern world. During this time period farming was the primary livelihood in Western Europe with “at least 75% of the people making their living off from the land” (Goodman 86). During the winter months the people did not have very much to do other than stay inside and carefully ration supplies that they stored from the year before. This down time allowed for the cottage industry to come about. This not only helped pass the farmers time but it allowed the farmers to create textiles...
Words: 1142 - Pages: 5
...John Ryan 2.00 pm class Industrial Revolution paper During the period from the early 18th century to the mid 19th century people experienced many changes that had an impact on their lives such as technical advance, development of transport, trade, better organization of output or new financial structures. All these achievements happened spontaneously and were not planned. Economy was in process of rapid change and it gave many opportunities for people to gain wealth as well as social advancement. Almost every aspect of people’s lives was influenced in some way. This essay would like to argue that there were many innovations during this era; however, the biggest changes that people went through were industrialization and trade. Industrialization stalled the manual labour and set off the machine-based manufacturing. This major shift was closely associated with new rules for workers who had to adapt to new system. Furthermore, free trade became a phenomenon that brought profit and gave domestic workers job opportunities. Industrialization was one of the major aspects during the Industrial Revolution. It brought changes in organization of production, managerial oversight and relationship between employer and labourer had changed as well. Old relationship between master and his worker disappeared because now hundreds of workers were employed in the company. Because the industrialization was new for everybody, there were no experienced workers. Therefore everybody could learn...
Words: 1074 - Pages: 5
...response to the changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution. The labor unions were established to help workers with low pay, unsafe working conditions and long hours—to name a few. Their main goal was to ensure that all working people were treated justly in the work force. “Working people have a lot of concerns in this economy. They want decent pay. They want benefits. And of course they want job security. All the reasons why they need union representation” (Crane, 2012). Is that statement still true today? Do labor unions want the best for the working person or are unions another example of something good gone bad? Many people believe Labor Unions were essential in the 19th century but now with government oversight and business practices, unions are no longer required. Labor Unions Needed Agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions during the Industrial Revolution. As the revolution progressed, business moved from a mom-and-pop model to a machine-and-factory production model. Families quickly moved from the rural areas to the cities. They hoped to improve their standard of living. This meant ever member of the family had to work, regardless of sex or age. People worked for long hours for low wages, in dangerous and repetitive conditions, and with little-to-no job security. Factory owners targeted children to work in their facilities. Children as young as...
Words: 2423 - Pages: 10
...Chapter 22 716-750 - Life in the Emerging Urban Society Homework 1. How did urban life change in the nineteenth century and how did this new urban society impact lives of the rich, poor and middle class? During the nineteenth century, as urban populations grew, living conditions declined. People would crowd into cities due to the lack of transportation, sometimes with over 10 people in a single basement and without the proper knowledge of sanitation, they would literally let their poop flow down openly on the streets. Not to mention that more people died in cities than were born because disease spread so easily to the point where populations didn’t die out simply because of the immigrants. It wasn’t until the middle of the nineteenth century the people had enough of their unhygienic life-styles and called for improvement. One notable man in favor of improvement was Edwin Chadwick who, based on Jeremy Bentham’s idea of utilitarianism (the idea that people should move towards the “greatest good for the greatest number”), noticed that the sicknesses and the resulting deaths where probably one of the reasons for the horrible conditions. He suggested that the government take action and clean up the cities. Once the government stepped in the general public health improved dramatically. Certain intellectuals, such as chemist Louis Pasteur created the germ theory that said that diseases were spread through living organisms that they could control. New improved medical techniques...
Words: 1441 - Pages: 6
