Why Is The French Revolution More Important Than The Industrial Revolution

When thinking about the importance of many revolutions throughout history, it is hard to think of one that is more important than the Industrial Revolution. Beginning in the late 1700s north of Britain, the Industrial Revolution sought to expand and bolster the economy of Britain and those who were to follow in their footsteps. Britain was the first country to industrialize, doing so by having a “robust empire, profitable overseas trade networks, and established credit institutions” (Coles, P. 506). Some may argue that the French Revolution was more important than the Industrial, but the Industrial Revolution had an impact all over the world in such a way that two revolutions were seen throughout history. Although both of these revolutions had a significant imprint on affecting Europe, the Industrial Revolution was more important because it left behind new inventions, supported different ideas and had a lasting influence on the people of the middle and working classes.
Along with the Industrial Revolution came different inventions that changed the complexity of work.
Before the revolution, work was done by hand with people producing at a slow rate. During the revolution, numerous inventions were made that lightened that workload and allowed for people to produce at faster rates, which also helped lower the cost of the item being produced. An example of this would be John Kay’s flying shuttle that was invented in 1733, which allowed for the process of weaving to collectively move faster. Such an invention allowed for a single weaver to produce much wider weave fabrics which also lead to the production of weaving all around to be better. As a result, people were able to produce things such as cloth and wool at faster, more efficient
rates. Another instance that changed the amplification within the working field would be the cotton gin. The Industrial Revolution may have started in Britain, but its effect was endured all throughout the world. In 1793, an American by the name of Eli Whitney created the cotton gin. The purpose of the gin was to separate cotton seeds from fibers using a machine that would speed up the time it normally took for a person to do the work via hand. Correspondingly, the price of cotton went down and the manufacture of cotton excelled through the roof. Many people tried to establish themselves within the industry because “the first textile machines were inexpensive enough to be used by spinners in their own cottages” (Coles, P. 507). Not only did this help people who wanted to institute themselves within the economy, it also paved the way for new ideas to spread throughout the minds of citizens across the world. Accompanying the new inventions that the Industrial Revolution brought, also came new ideas that transformed the landscape of Europe. During the second revolution, the ideas of citizens were made prevalent. Such ideas were seen all throughout Europe, especially in terms of medicine, nutrition, and personal hygiene. In virtue of industrialization, the populations of many countries within Europe expanded immensely. Take for example, Britain during 1881-1911 when the population grew nearly one-third. The advances created by new ideas and industrialization allowed for “improved conditions in housing and public sanitation that helped relieve the pressure on Europe’s growing cities” (Coles, P. 623). New ideas were not just made widespread within the medical field, but the political field as well. During the Industrial Revolution, people also began to think of different political junctures that also paved the landscape of Europe. One of the most famous ideologies and one that is still seen today would be the political ideology created by Karl Marx. Most famous for his idea of socialism, Marx political point of view set out to attack capitalism. Marx did so by showing people a “systematic analysis of how capitalism forced workers to exchange their labor for subsistence wages while enabling their employers to amass both wealth and power” (Coles, P. 625).
Further, people began to follow Marx and his newly implemented ideas. However, not everyone agreed with Marx’s ideas. Other political reforms began to rise. Things such as liberalism challenged the ideas of socialism and people began to wonder how liberals and socialist would be able to work together. The Industrial Revolution played its part in showing people that establishing new ideas could certainly change the entire landscape of the continent and even the entire world. Such ideas that were created in the 19th century and have lived on to today’s time. The addition of new ideas also shined light on different subjects, take for example the middle and working class laborers wanting their voices to be heard.
Perhaps seeing the most influence within this time period would be the middle class. Composed of doctors, lawyers, shopkeepers and other professionals, the middle class endured much change during this time. The people of the middle class were shown by the Industrial Revolution that they could use new ideas and inventions to better themselves in life. The “European middle class helped sustain itself with the belief that it was possible to get ahead by means of intelligence” (Coles P. 521). As it was shown here, the people of the middle class sought to expand their lives through intelligence and serious devotion to work. They were able to do so and as a result, the middle class thrived on.
Further, the Industrial Revolution also lead to different results to the social atmosphere. The effects of industrialization were soon visible in numerous aspects. Since industrialization allowed for changes in production and the workplace, new forms of employment were created. As a result, the population began to increase drastically. People of the middle and working classes began to see a change in their social structures. The rapid growth and development of industrialization and the population forced the infrastructure of Europe to change all together (Lecture, 1.27).
Changes were made to both the middle and working classes. The working classes started to reside within densely populated districts and the middle class started to reside in developing neighborhoods alongside these districts. The lives of the middle class people differed drastically as opposed to those of the working class. Since industrialization was becoming a worldwide movement, the people of the working class were the ones who would work within the industries. The working class people lead the jobs of factory workers and other hands on work. People within the working class wore blue collared shirts to working which indicated that their shirts would get dirty from all of the hands on work they were doing. The middle class differed in that they were the ones who wore a white collar which indicated that they were not to get their shirt dirty at work. Subsequently, the middle and working class had very different lives and experiences which lead to tensions rising between the two (Lecture, 2.3).