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Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, England began to undergo many social and economic changes, which society knows today as, The Industrial Revolution. The consequences of this revolution would change human labor, consumption, family structure, social structure, and according to newer research, the very soul and thoughts of the individual in a dramatic way. Historians are still in constant debate, asking the question; why this occurred and more importantly, why did this take place in England? According to Dr. Gregory Clark, the reason for this revolution was a change in the nature of human population, meaning, through the course of natural selection people began to think in different ways. Now, according to the text, A History of Western Society, the revolution occurred through the increase in population, and the demand of more efficient technology. With these changes lurking ahead, a new kind of lifestyle will soon emerge.
The debate takes off with the question; what brought about the revolution? As seen in the text by Robert Heilbroner, "England was the scene of the most successful and thorough-going transformation of feudal society into commercial society. A succession of strong kings had effectively broken the power of the local nobility and had made England into a single unified state." This was key to the success of England because if the country were in disarray like its neighboring countries, the industrial revolution would not have taken place. According to historians, people built up better immunity to diseases, which caused a rise in the population. With the population steadily increasing, and the food
supply decreasing, problems soon arose for England. England needed new technology to increase productivity, they soon developed a new way to grow and harvest
crops that surpassed the tenant-farming era. This new way of harvesting came about with the passing of the enclosure act. This method required...