Industrial Revolution



Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution in Europe between 1760 and 1850 had a major impact on the many countries of Europe that forever shaped their outcome. The Industrial Revolution had many causes that are still debatable to this day, the most major influence however was the end of the French Revolution. After the Industrial Revolution, many changes took place throughout the continent economically, socially, culturally, religiously, politically, and intellectually.

The exact cause of the Industrial Revolution is debatable among historians today, some believe that the Revolution was an outgrowth of social and institutional changes brought about by the end of feudalism in Britain after the English Civil War while others simply blame it upon the effectiveness of border patrol, which prevented less diseases from entering the countries. With this, more babies lived past infancy, and for the first time in history the workforce had a humongous surplus of workers. Since work was hard to find in rural areas, many men were forced to leave their farms and work in the factories in the city. Other factors include the development of international trade, the creation of financial markets, and the accumulation of capital. Most importantly, the Industrial Revolution was a direct effect of what the end of the French Revolution brought to Europe.

The French Revolution had transformed Europe's political, diplomatic, and industrial views. People of knowledge began to wonder about an “industrial revolution”, as they saw their country become more and more economically oriented. The Industrial Revolution first hit the countryside, and with large numbers of population, food was scarce and alternative ways of producing more food faster became a commodity. The first breakthroughs were agriculturally based, in which simple rural based farming transformed into larger-scale manufacturing. Other major breakthroughs included the transformation of factories and many important inventions still used today. New sources of energy were discovered, along with faster transportation, and new ways of maximising human labor, which triggered economic and social changes throughout the continent.

When it comes to the economic development of Europe after the Industrial Revolution, most of the consequences were indeed positive. Wages rose to heights never before seen imaginable, and people had enough money to live comfortably. Industries developed, and with the help of factories and manufacturing, the production of products became significantly more time efficient. Machines were invented to help speed up these processes, and thus made mass production accessible. With this, the production cost ...