The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was most similar to the French Revolution in its social ramifications. Both revolutions connected the people of their respective countries and changed the structuring of the social order. The Revolution in France connected people throughout the country by polarizing their ideals, forcing them to be either revolutionary or conservative. Dividing the people like this increased connectivity amongst the supporters of each side. The Industrial revolution changed this more peacefully, connecting towns or major industrial hubs by way of train. As the map on page 531 showed, railways became a much more prominent feature in Europe. Likely they were most often used for trade and transporting goods, but before long, people would be allowed on too. Increased infrastructure always brings people from far places together allowing for cultural exchange. Also, in the French Revolution, the lower and middle classes were raised above the nobility and clergy. Similarly, in the Industrial Revolution, the wealth and state of living of the lower classes were increased because there was a novel way to make a living that was available for almost anyone. Another possible connection between the two is the increased consumption of natural resources. The French Revolution was, in large part, a war with countries and insurgent groups that opposed the new ideas. Wars always exhaust myriad materials such as metal for weapons, food for troops, and even cloth for uniforms. The Industrial Revolution did something similar except, instead of wasting the raw material without any real product, they manufactured something that could be sold to consumers. The Industrial Revolution was the more fruitful of the two.

The Industrial Revolution and the Slave trade can be related most easily through the economic changes that occurred. As is true with industry, all economies that came in contact with the slave trade came to rely upon it heavily. As opposed to hiring and paying workers indefinitely it was economically more sensible to buy slaves who would work for all their lives and produce children to continue to do the same. For industry, though we would now like to cut back some on it to allay our problem with pollution, it is almost impossible to do so completely. Without manufacturing, many more people would be jobless and all economies would suffer horribly. All the little things that are necessary to our lives were not hand made, but produced through the combined efforts of many production line workers or even just machines that were thought up in the industrial revolution. Arguably, the Industrial Revolution continues today, even if slave trade does not.