Industrial Revolution

We have been talking about the Enlightenment as the Age of Reason a time of new ideas in science, in philosophy, in  religion, government and morality.

 

What was the Enlightenment? A broadly influential philosophical and intellectual movement that began in Europe during the 16th century (1500's) and 17th century (1600's) and came into its own in the 18th C. Timeline The Enlightenment unleashed a tidal wave of new learning, especially in the sciences and mathematics, that helped promote the notion that human beings, through the use of their reason, could solve society's problems. The Enlightenment era, as such, has also been called the "Age of Reason." France Foremost in France among proponents of the Enlightenment were baron de Montesquieu (1689–1755), Voltaire (1694–1778), and comte de Buffon (1707–1788); Baron Turgot (1727–1781) and other physiocrats. Many opposed the extreme materialism of Julien de La Mettrie, baron d’ Holbach (1723–1789), and Claude Helvétius.  Unique for the Enlightenment was Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), who reacted against the extreme rationalism and advanced ideas that greatly influenced romanticism. England In England Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele. Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope were influential Tory satirists. Thomas Hobbes' (1588-1679) , John Locke (1632–1704),  David Hume (1711–1776), Adam Smith, Jeremy Bentham () and Edward Gibbon  were important philosophical figures. "Germany" (Holy Roman Empire and parts of the Hapsburg Empire)  Moses Mendelssohn,  G. E. Lessing and Immanuel Kant were leading proponents. Johann Herder like Rousseau in France represented a counter current reacting against Enlightenment thought. Italian City States Italian representatives of the age included Cesare Beccaria and Giambattista Vico.  America Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) and Thomas Paine (1737–1809) were leading proponents of Enlightenment thinking.

Progress

Enlightenment thought changed from the medieval and Renaissance notions that everything happens for a reason (in the mind of God) to a worldview based on atoms bouncing off each other. It is a basic tenet of modern science- the world is contingent:

con·tin·gent  Etymology:  from Latin contingent-, contingens,  to have contact with, befall, from com- + tangere to touch -- more at tangent
1 : likely but not certain to happen : possible
2 : not logically necessary; especially : empirical
3 a : happening by chance or unforeseen causes b : subject to chance or unseen effects : unpredictable c : intended for use in circumstances not completely foreseen
4 : dependent on or conditioned by something else
5 : not necessitated : determined by free choice
synonym see accidental

If you believe in fate, karma, miracles, witchcraft, that everything happens for a reason, angels or mother nature you are not a Modern thinker, because the Enlightenment consigned all such thought to ignorance and superstition. Events happened because atoms collided not because God made them happen or because they were meant to happen.  There is no meaning in the world. Meaning can only be in people's minds. Nature is just a thing, not a mother.

Physics, astronomy, chemistry, engineering and mathematics made huge strides once the old notions were discarded.

At first the new world view was welcomed for its liberating effects, for the clarity it brought. It did not bring with it technological breakthroughs. It took a couple of hundred years before the new ideas started to bring about practical changes in people's lives

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What was the Industrial Revolution?

What were the origins of the Industrial Revolution and how did it develop?

How did the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution affect people and society in an era of continued rapid population growth?

1. There are several causes of the late 18th century acceleration of the English economy including changes in agriculture, foreign trade, technology, energy supplies and transportation. Your book mentions several other, less conspicuous assets that favored the process. Describe these other, less conspicuous assets?

2. What was the agricultural revolution that largely preceded the industrial revolution?

3. How were poor people affected by the enclosure movement?

4. What was mercantilism? What was different about he British version of mercantilism? (you may want to go to an encyclopedia to get a more in depth description of this important economic concept)

5. What wars did Great Britain fight in the 1700's that greatly improved its commercial position internationally? What possessions and concessions did it acquire in each war?

6. The cotton textile industry was the first to industrialize. Describe the changes that mechanization brought to the English weaving industry to 1830.

7. What was the problem of energy that was over come by the industrial revolution?

8. What support was necessary to the success of James Watt's steam engine?

9. How did steam engines affect the iron industry?

10. How did the railroad change society?

11. What was Malthus' theory of population?

12. What was Ricardo's iron law of wages?

13. Explain the objections of Friedrich List to the English doctrine of "free trade".

14. What innovation in banking helped continental industrialization?

15. How does your book describe the process of class consciousness coming into being?

16. Describe the conditions of work in the English Industrial Revolution.

17. Describe the theory of gender division of labor that believes that the gender roles of women and men can vary with time and culture. Under this theory, what are some of the reasons for different gender roles in the Industrial Revolution. 

18. What was the goal of the chartist movement?

19. Read the Testimony of Young Mine Workers on pages 774-775. Describe the working conditions for miners. 

20. The witnesses were responding to questions from middle-class commissioners. What did the commissioners seem interested in? Why?