The first Industrial Revolution began in England in the 18th century.
It was a period marked by great technological, economic and social transformations.
With the first phase of the Industrial Revolution, there was a change in the mode of production established until then.
Craftsmanship has gone through a mechanization process, with the introduction of machines in production and the construction of factories.
The use of machinery allowed for greater production in less time. It is about emergence of the industrialization process.
The first Industrial Revolution was responsible for the consolidation of capitalism as a socio-economic model and for the transformations in labor relations.
Features
Technological, political, economic and social transformations characterized the first phase of the Revolution Industrial, which started in England but gradually spread to Europe and the rest of the world. world.
The Industrial Revolution is the great milestone of transition from the Modern Age to the Contemporary Age.
Advances in technology during the 18th and 19th centuries made possible the emergence of various inventions, such as hydraulic machines, wind machines, steam engines, and coal as a source of energy.
With the introduction of machinery, the production process that was previously artisanal and concentrated in the hands of a single person, the artisan, was now divided into several stages.
It's the call industrial production. One person (or more) becomes responsible only for a certain phase of production.
The type of raw material base of the products has also changed. Wood is replaced by metal, which led to the growth of the steel industry.
The new dynamics of production in factories ends up creating a working class: the workers, who would also be seen as the proletariat.
The working class was mainly composed of people who migrated from the countryside to the city.
O rural exodus it was a typical phenomenon of that historical moment, in which the urban population grew rapidly and ended up living on the margins of large cities.
Poor living conditions and precariousness at work marked the lives of workers at the time. The working hours were long, reaching 16 hours. Wages were low, and women and children were paid even less.
The search for improvements in living and working conditions enabled movements such as luddism and trade unions.
Luddism was led by workers who believed that with the destruction of the new factory machinery, they would regain the lost quality of life. However, the acts of destruction did not have the imagined effects.
the so-called trade unions they were the first workers' associations, which later gave rise to unions.
Trade unions were organizations that provided assistance to workers (in cases of illness, for example) and also fought for labor improvements, such as the reduction of working hours and the prohibition of work childish.
THE strike as a method of putting pressure on factory owners and the government to achieve better working conditions also emerged in this period, being used until today by workers all over the world.
The first phase of the Industrial Revolution initiated the economic and social transition to the world we know today.
The investment of the bourgeoisie in technological advances, production on an industrial scale, the rural exodus and the new labor relations made possible the consolidation of capitalism as a development model.
As well as the strengthening of the ideals of liberalism, both in economics and politics.
Summary of the characteristics of the Industrial Revolution
- Transition milestone between Modernity and Contemporaneity.
- Strong technological advance: steam engines, coal as a source of energy.
- Emergence of the industrial production model.
- Rural exodus.
- More production in less time.
- Cheaper of products.
- Consolidation of capitalism.
- Emergence of the working class.
- Emergence of unions.
Social and historical context
The context that made the english pioneering in industrialization brings together a set of scenarios: the enrichment of the bourgeoisie, the conquest of political power by the bourgeoisie, the availability of workers, the availability of means of transporting products and the existence of a market consumer.
In the mid-eighteenth century, England had a enriched bourgeoisie and that it had conquered political power with the end of the absolutist monarchy.
Therefore, in addition to the capital to invest in technologies and industrialization, the bourgeoisie had also obtained political power to defend its commercial interests.
In addition to this scenario, the country was also experiencing a period of political stability, which encouraged domestic investment.
England also had internal raw materials, especially metal, and external, coming from the colonies.
At Fencing Laws, which gained strength in the 18th century, abolished the common lands, which were public and were used for centuries by a large part of the peasants. These lands were converted into private property.
With no place to work, the rural population migrated to the cities and ended up working in factories. Much of the supply of labor in the industries came from the rural exodus experienced by the Cercamento.
England also had efficient means of transport that ensured the internal movement of produced goods. A potential market to consume and purchase the products was also present.
Learn more about industrial revolutions.
Consequences
The First Industrial Revolution transformed and influenced the entire world. It was the mark for the entrance in the Contemporary Age and for the social and economic formation that is known today.
The Industrial Revolution also took the first step in a great technological race.
From the second half of the 19th century onwards, the beginning of a second industrial revolution, which made possible the invention of electric energy and the use of oil as a fuel, in addition to the emergence of mass media.
Technological growth has also helped to boost philosophical thoughts such as scientism and positivism.
also understand the Second Industrial Revolution.
In addition to technology, the Industrial Revolution also brought economic, social and political consequences. In the economy, the large scale production made it possible to make products cheaper and to have a large consumer market.
On the other hand, it created a new way of working class exploitation and put the bourgeoisie as the exploiting class.
It also made possible a strong concentration of income, in which the rich bourgeoisie owned the factories and what was produced, while the workers counted only on their workforce.
The consolidation of capitalism and the social problems that emerged led to alternative ways of building the world. Development models like the socialism it's the anarchism are made during this period.
The slow and uneven process of world industrialization has given rise to a new division between countries: industrialized and non-industrialized. The latter placed as the raw material suppliers.
One of the most complex consequences of the Industrial Revolution was a new and strong imperialist movement among European countries.
With the huge increase in production, there was a need for growth in the consumer market, as well as in the supply of raw materials.
Europe also had many unemployed, fruits of occupations that ceased to exist with the introduction of machines in the manufacturing process.
The need for more consumers and raw materials, and the urge to displace the unemployed, caused several regions of Africa and Asia to be transformed into colonies.
O imperialism in the 19th century it economically exploited and imposed European culture on the dominated regions. It also potentiated existing ethnic conflicts, created mechanisms of exclusion of the local population (such as racial segregation) and culminated in wars, such as those for independence.
Based on interpretations of scientific thoughts, the domination of the regions was justified as civilizing missions and evidenced European superiority.
Conflicts between European countries due to imperialist objectives also influenced the occurrence of World War I.
Finally, the first Industrial Revolution initiated the destruction of the environment in large proportions. Both for obtaining raw materials and for the use of chemical and polluting materials in industries.
