How did the industrial Revolution change European industry and trade?

Question

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Answer 1

Historians usually talk about two industrial revolutions. The First Industrial Revolution occurred between 1840 and 1870 and its impact was largely limited to Great Britain. The Second Industrial Revolution, which evolved from the first, took place between 1870 and 1914 and its impact was global. In the United States, and in Northern Europe (e.g. France, Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg) Japan, and Russia, industry develops. It also impacted Southern and Eastern Europe, albeit to a much lesser extend. Second, the driving force behind the Second Industrial Revolution differed from the first. The first industrial revolution had been driven by the development of steam power. Advances in steel manufacturing, electricity and the chemical industry provided the impetus for the second. The Second Industrial Revolution also witnessed the introduction of new modes of production – the most important of which was the introduction of interchangeable parts in manufacturing. Finally, the Second Industrial Revolution was characterized by significant advances in agricultural – namely the use of fertilizers allowing for higher agricultural yields and the mechanization of agricultural production.

 

The Second Industrial Revolution changed European industry and trade in several ways. First, it changed the conditions under which workers labored dramatically, which in turn prompted new responses on the part of the workers. The factory system centralized work production in buildings designed specifically for one purpose. No longer did production take place in the home. It changed how products were made; no longer were craftsman responsible for making a product from beginning to end. With the introduction of the assembly line, workers did one element of a job only. This increased the speed of production, but it also meant that production required fewer skilled workers. These workers were displaced by machines; the craftsman no longer enjoyed the same economic or social status as he had before industrialization.

 

Rapid industrialization also translated into horrific living and working conditions for city workers. Most urban workers lived in overcrowded slums and worked long hours. For example, in 1900, the average worker in Germany worked 65 hours per week. In addition to long hours, industrial accidents and daily exposure to hazardous materials meant in some industries such as the coal and steel industries, workers frequently were dead by their thirties.

 

These conditions prompted workers to organize trade unions to protect their interests in the workplace. As membership grew, these unions called for strikes in order to win better working conditions. European governments responded to strikes by outlawing trade unions and by using deadly force against strikers. For example, in 1891, French troops opened fired on strikers in the industrial town of Fourmies, killing 9 workers and injuring 35. Workers also responded to deplorable conditions by supporting political parties that promised to create governments supportive of them – in particular they supported Socialist Parties. In doing so, they transformed socialism from a movement of intellectuals into a mass movement.

 

If you would like to learn more about how the First and Second Industrial Revolutions impacted Europe, you might want to look at the following essay, "Time, Work-discipline, and Industrial Capitalism" by the British historian, E.P. Thompson.