Western European Studies

Effects of the Industrial Revolution on western societies

Introduction

Introduction

The term “Western world” refers to all the nations that are highly developed and which share a common culture. The countries that are considered to be a part of the western world are western European countries such as Spain, Germany, France, Great Britain, and the Americas (United States and Canada)(Kingston-Mann, 1999). Furthermore, the countries of South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are also considered to be a part of the Western world because of their close historical association with Great Britain and also the high level of development that the nations have been able to achieve. The Industrial Revolution was a historical period between the second half of the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. It was a period during which the United States, Britain, and the rest of continental Europe underwent the largest socioeconomic, cultural and technological transformations in history (Hillstrom & Hillstrom, 2006). Prior to the industrial revolution, the economies of western nations were mostly dependent on agricultural produce. However, as manual labor was gradually replaced with sophisticated machines and innovate technology, the manufacturing industry became the major focus of the economy and was responsible for making the largest contribution to the economy (Hillstrom & Hillstrom, 2006; McNeese et al., 2000).

Dicsussion

The industrial revolution started with the mechanization of the textile industries and the development of processes of iron. The expansion of trade was facilitated by improved transport routes and later by the invention of the railroad (McNeese et al., 2000). Inarguably, the most important innovation in this regard was the steam engine which made it remarkably convenient for businesses from different nations of Europe to conduct trade, particularly amongst themselves (McNeese et al., 2000). In addition to this, powerful machines related to the textile industry were also invented and this facilitated the rise of the textile industry (Hillstrom & Hillstrom, 2006). When compared with conventional production processes that mainly involved manual labor, these new machines favored enormous increases in the production capacity of businesses and therefore helped them in increasing revenues and expanding the existing client base (Hillstrom & Hillstrom, 2006). The production and development of newer and more innovative models of machinery between 1800 and 1820 facilitated the manufacture in other industries and also increased production (McNeese et al., 2000). In the industrial revolution, significant increases in the amount of manufactured along with a remarkable decrease in the production time allowed businesses to enjoy the benefits of mass production.

Mass production allows businesses to divide and simplify complex tasks into several simpler operations that can be performed without any worker (Mokyr, 1985). This allows businesses to lower the costs associated with production to a great extent and increase the number of units produced under the same fixed cost (McNeese et al., 2000). Hence, the industrial revolution entails a profound and irreversible transformation that starts from the production system and encompasses the economic and social system as a whole since it completely redefines the appearance of the factory and the relationship ...