Dbq Industrial Revolution

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During the mid-nineteenth century Europe, and consequently the world, experienced significant changes due to four important events, and would ultimately lead to the entrance of new ideologies. The Industrial Revolution, urbanization, in addition to social and political reforms in the 1830s and 40s provided context for the Communist Confession of Faith.
The Industrial Revolution provided a vehicle for the development of Communist Ideologies to spread. A drastic change in technology lead to growth industry, economics, and urban population. One such advancements in technology was the steam engine, which provided a catalyst for the Industrial Revolution. During the 1830s-40s the steam engine allowed for"…industrialization and urbanization…[to accelerate]…quite
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The growth of smaller economies, this allowed for countries such as Britain, Belgium, and the United States to become industrial powers. Economic industries in countries such as Britain would take advantage of urbanization, "Factory spring up in urban areas, where the growing population provided a ready source of labor" (MoW, 690; PP, slide 4). This increase in population and increase in labor force was not due to a higher birth, but"... massive rural emigration... " (MoW,692). Industrialization would force emigration to these major cities, and terrible working conditions. The increase of urbanization provided the conditions needed for the advance of Communist ideologies. The population of emigrant laborers brought to urban areas, were "... families of farmers who could not provide land for their children, artisans displaced by the new machinery, and children of the earliest workers who had moved to factory towns" ( MoW,690). These labors would create a “new socioeconomic class” and would consist of men, women, and children who would be required to work long hours in terrible conditions (MoW, 690-1). As cities with industrial based economies continued to grow, issues with labor and quality of life would arise. As population grew in large cities …show more content…
Conditions in urban areas for the working class lead to social and political movements which aimed to improve living and working conditions. In the 1830s and 40s these movements lead to an increase in “protective legislation” from governments. For example, Britain’s government introduced four pieces of legislation that would provide protection for labor and public health. The Factory Act 1833, “…outlawed the employment of children under the age of nine…limited the workdays for those ages nine to thirteen to nine hours a day, and those ages thirteen to eighteen to twelve hours” (MoW, 691). The Mines act of 1842, written to prohibit women and boys under the age of ten could work underground. The Ten Hour Act 1847, limited a day of work to ten hour, all women and males between thirteen and eighteen could not work longer than ten hours a day. Finally, the Public Health Act 1848, created legislation requiring the government to provide sewers, garbage removal, and clean water (Lecture, 10:57-12:59). These legislative documents are significant because they are political reforms caused by social reforms. The government is began taking responsibility for the workers.(Lecture,13--15:34). These reforms came in response to concerns of the further of society with generations of children who were forced to work.