What Sparked Industrialization

Industrialization simply refers to the process that changed the handicraft-centered economies into economies that defined by its machine manufacturing abilities (Bentley, J., Ziegler, H., & Streets, H. 2008). It was extremely important that technological advancements were made in order to sustain a level of productivity that met the demands of the economy. The need for factories soon arose which in turn created large businesses that could help invest in these ventures. It did not take long for the larger corporations to join up with each other in an effort to control trade throughout their respective economy. It is important, however, to understand why industrialization was ever needed in the first place and how it has changed over the years.

Shortly before the mid-eighteenth century, there were several areas in the world such as Great Britain and Western Europe that thrived in their agricultural production. When you are able to produce as much agriculture as they did, it created jobs which in turn brought more people to the area. It got to a point where the supply was not meeting the demand of the population so drastic actions had to be taken. Large factories soon thereafter were erected and tons of jobs were created. Men were not the only people to work in these factories contrary to popular belief. At first, women were forced to leave their children in someone else's care and travel to these factories to work. Towards the late nineteenth century however, society saw the need for women to be present in homes to properly fill the role of mother and wife. Kids even were taken to these factories to work, some in extremely harsh environments in which they were beaten just to stay awake.

The socialists were in fact the most vocal critic of the industrialization revolution by far. These people were known for their attempts to alleviate economic and social problems that presented themselves with the advancements in the industrialization realm. Among their biggest problems was the exploitation of workers especially women and children. They fought to increase the acceptance of the enlightenment ideology into their society starting with the lower classes first. There is no denying that the effects of the industrialization revolution can still be seen today. Technological advancements such as the steam powered factories and mass production are still being used in today industries. It is vital that we continue to advance our knowledge and technology of the industrialization sector to maintain a proper balance of supply versus demand.