Technological progress has always tended to improve the lives of people. Britain is considered to be the birthplace of the industrial revolution. Despite the fact that the population of Britain was much smaller than in other European countries, there were several reasons why the industrial revolution began in England. The agricultural revolution, the dominant geographical position of the country, and coal production were the impetus for the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Technical inventions that ensured the transition from manual labor to machine labor marked the beginning of the industrial revolution in Britain. Technological change was “the motor” that expedited the economic growth of the country (Allen, 2017, p.5). The construction of steam engines and machine tools led to the emergence of the machine-building industry. Mechanical engineering led to an increase in the demand for the metal, which gave a strong impetus to the development of metallurgy.
Large cities began to emerge in places where industrial machines were installed. Tremendous changes have taken place in the social structure of society. The revolution reinforced the formation process of a new social stratum that consisted of entrepreneurs and wage labourers. New industrial strata were increasingly replacing the agrarian society (Allen, 2017). As a result, the standard of living of many people has noticeably increased.
Thus, the development of mechanical engineering, metallurgy, coal mining, and transport became the foundation for the implementation of industrialization and the formation of an industrial society. As a result, entrepreneurs and hired workers became the leading strata of English society, and English society’s level of life rose to a new level.
References
Allen, R. C. (2017). The industrial revolution: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.