Industrial
Revolution The economic development Industrial
Revolution was a widespread replacement of manual labor by machines that began
in Britain in the 18th century and is still continuing in some parts of the
world. The Industrial Revolution was the result of many fundamental,
interrelated changes that transformed agricultural economies into industrial
ones. The most immediate changes were in the nature of production: what was
produced, as well as where and how. Goods that had traditionally been made in
the home or in small workshops began to be manufactured in the factory.
Productivity and technical efficiency grew dramatically, in part through the
systematic application of scientific and practical knowledge to the
manufacturing process. Efficiency was also enhanced when large groups of
business enterprises were located within a limited area. The Industrial
Revolution led to the growth of cities as people moved from rural areas into
urban communities in search of work. The social changes
The changes brought by the Industrial Revolution overturned not only
traditional economies, but also whole societies. Economic changes caused
far-reaching social changes, including the movement of people to cities, the
availability of a greater variety of material goods, and new ways of doing
business. The Industrial Revolution was the first step in modem economic growth
and development. Economic development was combined with superior military
technology to make the nations of Europe and other counterparts, such as the
United States, the most powerful in the world in the 18th and 19th
centuries. The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain
during the last half of the 18th century and spread through regions of Europe
and to the United States during the following century. In the 20th century
industrialization on a wide scale extended to parts of Asia and the Pacific Rim.
Today mechanized production and modern economic growth continue to spread to new
areas of the world, and much of humankind has yet to experience the changes
typical of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution
is called a revolution because it changed society both significantly and
rapidly. Over the course of human history, there has been only one other group
of changes as significant as the Industrial Revolution. This is what
anthropologists call the Neolithic (新石器时代的) Revolution, which took place in the
later part of the Stone Age. In the Neolithic Revolution, people moved from
social systems based on hunting and gathering to much more complex communities
that depended on agriculture and the domestication of animals. The Industrial
Revolution brought a shift from the agricultural societies created during the
Neolithic Revolution to modern industrial societies. The social
changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution were significant. As economic
activities in many communities moved from agriculture to manufacturing,
production shifted from its traditional locations in the home and the small
workshop to factories. Large portions of the population relocated from the
countryside to the towns and cities where manufacturing centers were found. The
overall amount of goods and services produced expanded dramatically, and the
proportion of capital invested per worker grew. New groups of investors,
businesspeople, and managers took financial risks and reaped (收获, 得到) great
rewards. In the long run the Industrial Revolution has brought
economic improvement for most people in industrialized societies. Many enjoy
greater prosperity and improved health, especially those in the middle and the
upper classes of society. There have been costs, however. In some cases, the
lower classes of society have suffered economically. Industrialization has
brought factory pollutants and greater land use, which have harmed the natural
environment. In particular, the application of machinery and science to
agriculture has led to greater land use and, therefore, extensive loss of
habitat for animals and plants. In addition, drastic population growth following
industrialization has contributed to the decline of natural habitats and
resources. These factors, in turn, have caused many species to become extinct or
endangered. The foundation in Europe Ever since the
Renaissance, Europeans had been inventing and using even more complex machinery.
Particularly important were improvements in transportation, such as faster
ships, and communication, especially printing. These improvements played a key
role in the development of the Industrial Revolution by encouraging the movement
of new ideas and mechanisms, as well as the people who knew how to build and run
them. Great Britain leads the way Then, in the 18th
century in Britain, new production methods were introduced in several key
industries, dramatically altering how these industries functioned. These new
methods included different machines, fresh sources of power and energy, and
novel forms of organizing business and labor. For the first time technical and
scientific knowledge was applied to business practices on a large scale
Humankind had begun to develop mass production. The result was an increase in
material goods, usually selling for lower prices than before.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain because social, political, and
legal conditions there were particularly favorable to change. Property rights,
such as those for patents (专利权) on mechanical improvements, were well
established. More importantly, the predictable, stable rule of law in Britain
meant that monarchs and aristocrats were less likely to arbitrarily seize
earnings or impose taxes than they were in many other countries. As a result,
earnings were safer, and ambitious businesspeople could gain wealth, social
prestige, and power more easily than could people on the European continent.
These factors encouraged risk taking and investment in new business ventures,
both crucial to economic growth. In addition, Great Britain’s
government pursued a relatively hands-off economic policy. This free- market
approach was made popular through Scottish philosopher and economist Adam Smith
and his book The Wealth of Nations (1776). The hands-off policy permitted fresh
methods and ideas to flourish with little interference or regulation.
Britain’s nurturing social and political setting encouraged the changes
that began in a few trades to spread to others. Gradually the new ways of
production transformed more and more parts of the British economy, although
older methods continued in many industries. Several industries played key roles
in Britain’s industrialization. Iron and steel manufacture, the production of
steam engines, and textiles were all powerful influences. Modern
industry requires power to run its machinery. During the development of the
Industrial Revolution in Britain, coal was the main source of power. Even before
the 18th century, some British industries had begun using the country’s
plentiful coal supply instead of wood, which was much scarcer. Coal was adopted
by the metalworking, glass and ceramics (制陶业) industries, demonstrating
its potential for use in many industrial processes. The passage gives an overall view of the Industrial Revolution around the world.