Industrial Revolution

(note: my blogger isn't working well right now, so I cannot change anything italics, quotes, or pictures. I'll add them later.)

Did the process of the Industrial Revolution represent primarily a mental or a material revolution?

It is easy to argue that the Industrial Revolution was influenced by both mental and psychical aspects. However, the point of this essay is to establish that one or the other is the most prevalent. This, after considering both sides, must be that this Revolution was a landslide of mainly physical aspects, set off by thoughts and mindset - but nonetheless, a physical revolution.

To begin to prove this point, one must consider the opposite view. The Industrial Revolution, by definition is “ a period of rapid industrial growth causing a radical shift in focus from agriculture to industry during the late 1700's and early 1800's,” (as quoted from www.business2000.ie/html/resources/glossary/i.htm). This radical shift in focus is the mental section of this revolution. Without the masterminds behind such inventions as Division of Labor, the steam engine, and advancement in the textile industry, the Revolution, simply, would not exist. The people in this situation are what brought about the Industrial Revolution - the sudden burst in population brought out a need for better and more efficient ways to produce, transport and manufacture. This is where the people come into play. Human beings, in nature are competitive. They commonly strive to advance through each generation; their fathers and mothers expect them to be more, as their fathers and mothers had of them. This linear time frame is what pushes us to improve. As the demand shot up with the growing population, the demand for efficiency and numbers grew as well. The English needed a bigger and better way to amend their way of living. So, stating this it is clear that without the human factor (and the thoughts behind it), this revolution would be nonexistent.

To state simply, the Industrial Revolution carries an implication that it was physical. The word ‘Industrial’ conveys the thought that it has something to do with business, machinery. manufacturing, and trade. These are all very physical things. This Revolution was based around the fact that objects were being invented and improved upon. Some of the events that took place during this period of time are such; the British Atlantic Slave trade was completely annihilated, which brought about the end of plantations and farms reliant directly on slave labor. Europe lost formal control over the countries they had possessed overseas, but gained “wider economic dominance”. The Colombian exchange took place as well, bringing fourth the English discoveries of the food and animals brought from the New World. Foods such as potatoes, maize, cocoa, and tobacco became a large staple in many European diets. The potato and sweet potato replaced bread in places such as Ireland. Rubber and useful hardwoods were also imported to the European countries, changing building techniques. Animals such as new breeds of dog, horses, horned cattle, and sheep were also introduced to Europe. However, with these improvements there also came an epidemic of smallpox, measles, yellow fever, malaria, typhus fever, and tuberculosis, which broadly affected the "Amerindians", but not as dramatically in Britain and throughout Europe. “Oceanic migrations then, voluntary and involuntary slaves brought much death into the world and much woe,” - Wealth and Poverty of Nations.

Spain, on the other hand, was also incredibly wealthy, yet they squandered their money on war. “Spain chose to spend -on luxury and war. War is the most wasteful of uses: it destroys rather than builds,” - The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. Also, the quote “A fool and his money soon are parted,” comes into play with Spain in this particular period of time. Consider them the fool, thinking themselves the most important, incredibly pompous, and still believing that they had enough money to waste on things like war and extravagant items. In fact, a Spaniard of such pomp said just this: “Let London Manufacture those fabrics, of hers to her heart’s content. Let Holland her chambrays; Florence her cloth; the Indies the beaver and vicuna; Milan her brocades; Italy and Flanders their linens, so long as our capital can enjoy them. The only thing it proves is that all nations train journeymen for Madrid and that Madrid is the queen of Parliaments, for all the world serves her and she serves nobody.” - The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. Surely, this is a narcissistic statement. At the end of this crisis, Spain was deeply in debt. “Easy money is bad for you It represents short run gain that will be paid for in immediate distortions and later regrets.” - The Wealth and Poverty of Nations.

All of these transgressions point to the fact that for the most part, the Industrial Revolution was a physical one. The inventions, the laboring, the imports, the war, the money - they are all signs that lead to the answer that this was a physical event. It was set off by a series of thoughts centered around the demand and improvement of mankind (or their own peoples.) The inventions created during this period of time have brought America to be what America is; brought Britain to be what Britain is, and the same for the rest of Europe.