Contextualization
The manufacturing of machine tools on a large scale, the adoption of increased steam transport, and the use of steam-powered engines in factories characterized the continuation of the First Industrial Revolution to the Second. The initial revolt focused on textile production, railroads, coal, iron, and steam engine innovation, while the near automobiles one centered on the invention of steel, petroleum, electricity advancement, and the automobile. The discoveries in the energy field introduced improved communication technology. The significant changes during this period replaced old products with new ones.
Thesis
The differences between the First Industrial Revolution and the Second occurred in the political and sociocultural responses of Europe and America at different times. Although the two revolts were marked by critical industry diversity and distinct power sources, the economic features were identical and driven by exact trade capitalism logic. The new revolution brought discoveries and inventions that improved the quality of life for everyone worldwide. New skills also resulted in an increase in mass production, hence, low costs of goods in the market. Businesses experienced economic growth at an unprecedented rate that happened within a brief period and considerable changes in society. This paper will discuss how the Second Industrial Revolution was a continuation of the First, its causes, and the changes it brought to the world.
Brief History of the Revolution
The technological revolution, which was the second industrial change, occurred in the late 19th century and early 20th area (Britannica, 2022). The revolt happened between 1870 and 1914, at the beginning of the First World War (Britannica, 2022). There was rapid standardization, industrialization, scientific discovery, and mass production. Important inventions’ slowdown punctuated the First Industrial Revolution. The gradual change was traced by innovations in manufacturing industries, including the development of methods for producing interchangeable parts, the establishment of machine tools, and the Bessemer process invention in steel construction.
Causes of the Second Industrial Revolution
The leading cause of the Second Industrial Revolution was the electrical technological expansion. Thomas Edison created the first high-resistance and electric light incandescence in 1879 (Britannica, 2022). This paved the way for a considerable extension of technology in manufacturing that would occur over the next few decades. Other recognizable significant factors included the development of the engine’s internal combustion, forming synthetic materials that involved nylon and plastic and producing steel.
During the First Industrial Revolution between 1760 and 1830, the Americans were confined to the Britain rule (Britannica, 2022). The British people forbade the hiring of skilled workers, the export of machinery, and the application of manufacturing techniques that would increase their output. The monopoly lasted only for a short time due to profitable industrial opportunities available abroad. European businessmen William and John Cockerill also sought to lure the British tech-know to their countries (Britannica, 2022). They brought the industrial revolution to Belgium through machine shop development. Belgium became the first country to transform economically in Europe. It centered on textiles, coal, and iron, just like its British progenitor.
Changes Caused by the Revolution
The Industrial Revolution’s aspects of technology and economy brought other significant sociocultural changes. During its first few days, the process seemed to deepen the misery and poverty of the laborers. Their subsistence and employment depended on costly means of production, which only a few people could afford. There was a lack of job security, and workers could be replaced frequently by technological improvements. The absence of workers’ rights protection led to long working hours with minimal wages. There was a lot of exploitation and abuse in the workplace (McKay et al., 2010). Although these problems arose, new ideas were also invented to address them. The concepts pushed regulations and innovations that gave the people advanced materials to enable them to produce more output, communicate more rapidly, and travel faster.
The expansion of electricity was the most significant transformation between the two industrial revolutions. Despite being introduced in the first phase of change, electricity was not widely used as in the second revolt. Using energy and power allowed factories to yield their products on a large scale more efficiently than before when there was no application of the same. The development of new communication technologies, including radio and telephone, was also due to electricity. The increase in the production of steel that was to be used in manufacturing and construction experienced change regarding its strength and durability. The steel produced was more long-lasting and potent than other materials used before, thus creating more and larger complex structures (Fernihough & O’Rourke, 2021). The synthetic constituents introduced made several products cheaper because they used a wide range of natural raw materials.
Although culturally and socially, more than half of the people lived in the cities in both revolutions, the second revolt changed the way of living and working in several ways (Shabalov et al., 2021). The increase in productivity due to technological changes led to the production of more goods at a faster rate. Furthermore, the invention of the airplane and the automobile made transportation of commodities from one point to another more accessible and efficient. Individuals could travel to distant places faster than before the revolutions. Interaction of persons through the power of the internet was also advanced. For instance, the invention of the light bulb and the telephone changed how people worked and communicated. Due to this advancement, long working hours and the use of experts were made possible.
Many poor people depended on farming to make a living during the first revolution. This practice did not end, but it continued, especially the black people who carried out sharecropping to earn from land owned by someone else. In the 1920s, many of these people were forced off the ground after the boom of World War I (Britannica, 2022). In both revolutions, the living conditions were difficult, unregulated, and dangerous. However, there was an increase in employment in manufacturing (Fernihough & O’Rourke, 2021). There was urbanization, population growth, and suburban life in the first and second industrial revolutions. There were alienating working conditions with little or no creativity, repetitive work, and job security. The two rebellions damaged the environment because of coal smoke pollution and car exhausts.
Summary
The Second Industrial Revolution continued the first because factories in the urban areas had employers who controlled people’s lives—significant economic and social inequalities developed between the owners of the industries and the wage laborers. The two revolts had anti-capitalist movements that developed and led to improved working conditions and living standards. Politically, this practice was carried out to limit the autonomy and the power of employers and guarantee freedom to the workers. Trade unions that were present in both eras fought for legalization. The automated production process, mass production, and division of labor marked a similarity during the transition. It encouraged economic growth and unprecedented innovation that made the USA and Europe preeminent economic powers globally and dominated trade worldwide for decades. However, the procedure was slow during the FIR because the electric power needed an exemplary implementation. The innovations during the two periods happened in free markets and liberals with good access to natural resources. In the two eras, scientists applied scientific knowledge to achieve their inventions.
References
Britannica, T. Editors of encyclopaedia (2022). Industrial revolution. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web.
Fernihough, A., & O’Rourke, K. H. (2021). Coal and the European industrial revolution. The Economic Journal, 131(635), 1135-1149. Web.
McKay, J. P., Hill, B. D., Buckler, J., Crowston, C. H., Wiesner-Hanks, M. E., & Perry, J. (2010). A history of Western society, Volume A: From Antiquity to 1500 (Vol. 1). Macmillan.
Shabalov, M. Y., Zhukovskiy, Y. L., Buldysko, A. D., Gil, B., & Starshaia, V. V. (2021). The influence of technological changes in energy efficiency on the infrastructure deterioration in the energy sector. Energy Reports, 7, 2664-2680. Web.