THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

The industrial revolution was a process of economical, political and social transformation in Europe, specifically in Britain, in the XVIII century, and expanded to all the european continent and later to all the wold.

This revolution totally transformed people’s way of life from the most basic aspects, like transportation or clothing, until the configuration of the international system. It was so important for the development of the world; it moved all aspects of the life.The industrial revolution represents the first big step to the technological development, and this transformations represent the reconfiguration of the world political, social and economically. 

In the industrial revolution the machines were the key factor. The use of machines in the different industries and processes, as well as in the transportation, produced a development of the countries and the manufacturing area, and also caused the replacement of a lot of humans from their jobs because a machine could make their same work faster, cheaper and better. 

Economical changes

During the industrial revolution, there were some important economical changes. First, the transportation revolution, where humans began to use machines instead of animals as the way of transportation; this was faster and cheaper, and allowed the economical interchange between nations. 

Also, big manufacturing centers appeared, with lots of machines used in the productive processes and with a lot of workers that lived in the new big cities; these things decreased the costs and increased the productivity, which meant more money to the big and industrialized nations like USA. This allowed the big countries to export machines to those countries that were less developed. The principal exporters were USA, France, Germany and England

With the apparition of these big industrial companies full of sophisticated machines, crafts and small manufacturers couldn’t compete in the market and they disappeared from the economical environment. This affected the small and less industrialized countries which were focused only on the first sector of the economy (raw materials).

Social changes

The industrial revolution has been one of the most important and complex transformations in the history because its scope goes further away than only the industry and the technology. This social transformation was fundamental to the creation of current configuration.

The economic model who imposed the industrial revolution with the news model of production, distribution and marketing makes the consumption model characteristic of the capitalism (social, political and economic model, that keeps alive in the present like a hegemonic force in the majority of the nations).

The implementation of capitalism brought with him important changes in the work structures. With the new economic model born the concept social classes: the bourgeoisie like the high class with the ability to capital accumulation, and the working class, at the same time development the social movements, the socialism and the created of syndicates.