Beginning of Industrial Revolution - Beginning of Labor

Introduction

As trade and commerce flourished, merchants started to extend their trade with the help of more labor and the creation of small trading outposts. The factories we see today are not the result of a single process whereas it took decades of planning and evolution for man to create such factories and industries. The initial time before the coming of factories is called proto-industrialization by some historians which implies that even before the wave of factories in England and Europe there was a platform for large-scale industrial production in the industrial market. It is said to be a network of exchange and it was controlled by a number of merchants and families who were involved in trade and commerce.

Advent of Factories in Global Market

One of the oldest proof of factories can be seen in England in the 1730s. The first factories worked on the largest raw material called cotton. Cotton was the revolutionary raw material that every factory first started to manufacture in the 19th century. By 1760, Britain has imported 2.5 million pounds of new cotton to install in its factories. And after 25 years this multiplied into 22 million pounds’ worth of cotton. The process of production also changed the manufacturing of cotton which made the production multiply and efficient.

Inventions that changed the way of production

By the 18th century the invention of carding, twisting, spinning, and rolling revolutionized production. These inventions helped the worker to produce more units effectively. Then came the production through mills and under this arrangement the management under one roof catered more supervision over the production process and the quality assurance of the products and labor regulation was utilized to the optimum which was difficult when the production was done in the countryside.

Speedy Transition of Industrialization

The factories multiplied in England in the later 18th century and it was brought about in 4 phases.

• First phase − The initial thrust was given by cotton in the first phase of industrialization and it was the leading manufacturing unit till the 1840s. Then came the iron industry and steel industry which led the industrial revolution to new heights. This coupled with the expansion of railways in the colonies of England increased the demand for iron and steel and it is estimated that by 1783 Britain was exporting steel and iron worth 77 million which was double the cost of its cotton export.

• Second phase − Even though the new industries were being built rapidly less than 20 percent of the total work force were employed in technologically advanced industries and the majority of the workforce was employed in the domestic units rather than factories toward the end of the 19th century. This is proof that the transition was slow but growing.

• Third Phase − The traditional sector was not quick to change with the steam powered cotton or metal industries but they were not idle either. It was the small innovations in the non-mechanical sectors that provided growth in sectors like food processing, building, pottery, glass work, tanning, furniture making and production of implements.

• Fourth phase − The technological advancement was rather slow in most of the area as they did not spread widely in the industrial landscape. New technology proved to be costly and hard to maintain for the traditional merchants. At times the machinery broke down and the repairs were slow which led the merchants to peril.

Hand Labour and Steam Power

There was no shortage of labour in the Victorian Britain given their population, there was a plenty of labour to be utilized. The poor peasants moved to the city side in search of work and the industrialists had no problem in shortage of labour or high wage costs and they were not interested in introducing machinery that got rid of human labor and least interested in large capital investment.

Labor demand was seasonal in many areas and also in some industries like the Gas was busy through the cold months and winter was the time that the ships got repaired and spruced up. Even though machinery was becoming famous there was a high demand for handmade products especially within the upper class. Handmade products symbolized refinement and class and it delivered better finishing while the machine related goods were in demand for export to colonies. In countries with labor shortage the industrialists preferred machinery so that human dependence can be minimised.

Work Culture of 19th Century

The high number of labor markets affected the lives of the workers when word spread of the job opportunities that were present.

• Large numbers of workers migrated to the cities in search of jobs and jobs were easily handed to workers who knew someone who was already working in the factories.

• Issues with work culture was the seasonality of the work which was that when the busy months ended the workers were back on the streets again.

• Wages increased a bit in the 19th century but there was no investment in the welfare of the workers.

• There was also fear of unemployment with the introduction of new technology such was the case of the introduction of the spinning jenny where a large number of women protested to its introduction.

Conclusion

The industrial revolution was the stepping stone towards the future which later dictated the flow of capital, trade, and commerce and currently the world is going through the 3rd industrial revolution and preparing for the 4th industrial revolution which is the beginning of Artificial intelligence.

FAQs

Qns 1. When was the duration of 2nd industrial revolution?

Ans. It was through the 19th and the early 20th century that the revolution of mass production and standardization happened which aimed at the rapid growth of factories and the work was regulated with time rather than according to the sun. Rapid technological advancement in the area of steel, chemicals and electricity changed the agriculture sector and increased the standard of living of the people.

Qns 2. When was the duration of 3rd industrial revolution?

Ans. The third industrial was one among the most important revolutions of the human era which was powered by Information technology and later grew into a digital revolution where the daily activities from the way humans interact with each other and travel around the world changed drastically.