Industrialization and Democracy

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The industrial revolution is believed to have furthered the evolution of democratic institutions. During this time in both England and America you can see the sudden growth that was brought about through industrialization especially on the forefront of democracy. Economic development usually shifts the distribution of wealth and education within a society and these changes can result in new political alignments. By exploring these forces you see how one was just as important to the other and how the changes brought about during these times still affect us today. In both Europe and America industrialization brought about similar changes that included:  Increase of production  Increased labor force  Accelerated technological advances  Expanded trade markets  Population growth  Labor issues All of these changes are still evident in our world today as will be demonstrated in this paper. Democracy took different paths in America and England but had similar effects. The Industrial Revolution gave voice to the people thanks to economic growth and enabled the lower class to overcome suffrage. America’s Journey through Democracy and the Industrial Revolution England established its first successful colony in Jamestown, VA and many colonies soon followed. Many of the colonies were self governed and exercised representative government. They developed three basic fundamental ideas within the colonies: (1) People can create their own government by composing a constitution or similar political framework. (2) People have the right to govern themselves through representative institution. (3) People can organize church-state relations by practicing religious tolerance. This continued for roughly 40 years until King Charles II came into power in 1660. The colonies declared independence in 1776 and began the American
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