The Social And Economic Changes Of The European Industrial Revolution

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The Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries completely revolutionized the productive capacity of Europe. The revolution stood as more than just a rush of technological and theoretical advancements; it transformed European society down to its very roots. Every individual was touched in some fashion or form - peasant and noble, parent and child, artisan and merchant. The Industrial Revolution served as a key to the origins of modern European society, birthing capitalism and a higher overall quality of life. According to Paul Halsall there were four main effects caused by Industrial Revolution, increased standard of living, creation of factories, urbanization of the population, and a vast increase in production. These results, all interconnected, emerged through a domino like effect. At first there was a massive increase in the creation of factories. This increase led to an increased demand for labor, which in turn caused urbanization when vast amounts of workers moved into the city to work. This increase in available labor and factories led to an overall increase in total production that in turn flooded a large supply of goods into the market to meet the growing demand of the people, increasing GDP and ultimately the standard of living. While the amount of producers in the country and the supply of goods to the market increased, the efficiency of the production of these goods also increased. This newfound efficiency was caused mostly by technological advancements made during the revolution. Examples of these inventions include the cotton gin and the sewing machine. Besides the obvious economic impacts these advancements had on Europe, tremendous social changes were achieved. Simply put, common goods become affordable to the common man. A clear example of this is the production/availability of clothing. Clothing could now
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