The Birth of the Industrial Revolution, Book Review Example

While many students learn about the Industrial Revolution and its impacts on modern society in schools, very few people have the opportunity to explore the relevance of this movement on their daily lives. Industry and Empire: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution by Eric Hobsbawm provides readers with this opportunity. Overall, it is important to consider that the Industrial Revolution was not a rapid occurrence. While the movement began in Britain in 1840, the remainder of Europe and the world encountered this new mode of thought at different times. Therefore, the modern technological revolution that is characteristic of the way we live is due to the discoveries generated by thinkers of this movement in their unique regions. The spread of ideas and collaborative projects allowed for modern society to grow and become what it is today.

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain for a variety of reasons. This movement began with the agricultural revolution in the region that allowed the country to feed its residents with less effort than it had previously needed. This ultimately allowed people to transition to cities because they knew that they would be able to access food without farming it themselves. This relocation to cities ignited a spark of new ideas that arose due to the proximity of people and the desire to improve their lifestyles. As a consequence, factories were made to increase the production of non-food products and Britain had many financial institutions available that were able to support the productions of these factories. As infrastructure arose, progress continued because more and more people left their rural lives to inhabit the cities. This promoted the growth of these cities even more, causing trade to be necessary with surrounding areas and causing cities to arise in these locations as well.

The author demonstrates that the Industrial Revolution was an important component of history because it defines modern standards. Prior to the revolution, people were content living in the countryside and tending to their own land. However, this movement drove many people to the cities in an attempt to live a simpler life. For many, this involved replacing farm work with factory work, but food and other services were more readily accessible in this setting. Many individuals were forced to leave the countryside due to a lack of availability of jobs in rural areas. Whether people wanted to experience this change in lifestyle or not, they were forced to adapt to the changing ways.

The author demonstrated that there are many advantages and disadvantages associated with the Industrial Revolution. Because of the ideas formulated by these pioneers, we have been able to build upon these successes in order to generate cures for diseases and ways of transporting ourselves that had never been possible before. However, these advantages come at a clear consequence. People are becoming less skilled as a consequence of their reliance on technology. In addition, mass factory production is having a harmful impact of the world’s environment, which is causing many new health problems and destroying many animal populations. Overall, the Industrial Revolution was important to our new way of life, but it is important to consider the impacts of this movement so that we can reverse the damage of this process and reek the benefits instead.

Bibliography

Hobsbawn E. Industry and Empire: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution. The New Press, 1999.