Characteristics of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution is called the historical period in which several technological advances occurred, which caused the substitution of work. human and animal by the work of the machines to carry out various tasks causing in turn economic, social and economic transformations cultural This movement arose in the middle of the 18th century reaching a stage after what is usually called as the second industrial revolution, which in turn begins between the years 1850 to 1870 and reaches the time current.

The industrial revolution was preceded by several technological, economic and cultural changes that led to its emergence; There was a kind of agricultural revolution in which new crops such as corn, potatoes and other plants originating from other places were developed in Europe, together with the improvement of agricultural tools and techniques, leaving a large sector of the agricultural population unemployed, migrating to the cities to seek sustenance in other areas, such as commerce and the incipient industry.

This phenomenon was most distinguished in England, as this is the place where this revolution arose and where these Changes coupled with recent colonial expansion created several markets for manufactured goods here; in addition to obtaining various raw materials from the English colonies.

Technological advances gave little by little advances in machinery, first driven by air and water as happened with the mills. of wind and water that have been used for centuries, improving the machines for various uses and later the force of the steam. Thanks to the refinement carried out by James Watt in the pre-existing steam engines, they were created new and better machinery with which manufacturing production and transportation increased dizzily.

The characteristics of the industrial revolution are:

In the vast majority of productive areas, whether industrial, mining, fishing or agricultural, there was a progressive technification. This raised the production of most of the products and consequently lowered the prices of the items; This was caused by the reduction of costs, such as the payment of specialized personnel in processes (replaced by less trained personnel and in fewer numbers); thus replacing the artisan regime workers who charged more for doing the same job even though it was of higher quality.

Urbanization is accelerating to the detriment of rural life, as large centers begin to be created to store and later sell surpluses from factories, warehouses and shops.

International trade is widely favored for other nations as well, as was the case with their colonies.
In these colonies the surpluses were sold and the capital increased, but only from the owners of the factories and shops.
This gave rise to an inequality and excessive concentration of productive capital, which produced the development of capitalism.
The consumption of various energy sources is increased, such as:

• Wood
• Coal
• Coke
• Coal,

And subsequently:

• Petroleum
• Gas
• Nuclear energy (already in the second industrial revolution).

What starts a competition for the territories in which these energy sources are found, emphasizing more at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the twentieth century, already entering the second industrial revolution, where there is a vertiginous increase in the technification (machining) of industries and transport, and consequently a disproportionate increase in the demand for fuels, especially fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and Coal.

As a consequence of the concentration of capital, when mass production began in the industries, they began to financial entities arise to manage large capitals, in this way several companies are established banking.

The rise of banking companies, the concentration of capital in a few hands, and the industrial system in which the objective is to produce more quickly and reducing costs, gives birth to capitalism as an economic system and Social.

As a consequence of this and the emergence of the economic power of the industrial and commercial bourgeoisie, the bourgeoisie begins to obtain political power, to the detriment of the former nobles and landowners, fostering intellectual, social and political movements such as the French Revolution, gaining more and more freedoms in the social and political.

The technification or “machining” of production, both industrial and agronomic, had the consequences of a demographic increase important, promoting the migration of large sectors of the population from the fields to the city, and from the metropolises to the colonies that were increasingly being exploited in a more systematic way both in natural resources and human resources autochthonous.