Industrialization+and+Society

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= = = = = = = Unit VI: Industrialization and Changing Lifestyles =

Unit Summary
In the eighteenth century the economic basis of European life began to change. An agricultural revolution, involving the enclosure of common lands, the use of new crops and the application of scientific principles led to a great burst in productivity. Cloth manufacturing moved out of towns, where guild control was strong, and to the countryside where spinning and weaving were done in homes through the domestic or putting-out system of cottage industry. These economic developments stimulated changes in fundamental social patterns such as marriage, family size, food consumption, education and medical practices.

By the 1780s, the Industrial Revolution began in Britain, which had the resources to respond to increased demand with new technology and new ways of organizing production. Industrialization in continental Europe developed after 1815 following a quite different pattern than Britain. Urbanization and population growth accompanied industrialization. The living and working conditions of laborers in the early decades were terrible, but by around 1840, real wages were going up and the standard of living improved. Class-consciousness in both middle and working classes rose as the industrial system created clearer demarcations in occupation and lifestyle. Workers began to form unions and call for political change. (adapted from STRIVE FOR A FIVE)

Reading Questions pp.732-741
= Social History = Chapter 20 Changing Life of the People 1750-1850 Chapter 24 Life in Urban Society 1850-1900