18th and early 19th century European economy

Before the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the economy of many nations was based on the cottage-industry and the putting-out system. However after the 17th century, people revolutionized the energy potential of a man by inventing the steam engine. This machine allowed for an explosion of growth in cities throughout Europe. Also, the introduction of laissez-fare capitalism was beginning to be adopted by many governments giving an unjust power to the wealthy in control of their employees. As a result of this new technology and economical revolution, certain fundamental changes had a negative impact on the standards of living for the urban and rural working classes.

These fundamental changes that negatively impacted the working classes came in the form of social, economic, and political shifts.

Beginning in the 18th century, the nations of Europe saw an exponential growth in population, as pictured in Document 1. This population explosion put not only a strain on food sources, but it gave the industrialists the cheap labor source they needed to operate their factories. On the other hand, as a result of these growing industrialists and the migration of rural people to urban society, the profitability of the cottage industry decreased. This decrease in the cottage industry led to disintegration of the family unit since families were no longer working side-by-side and women weren’t learning domestic skills that were taught in rural households, as proposed by Document 4. These factors subsequently caused a decrease in living standards of the working classes.

Scottish philosopher and economist Adam Smith was the father of laissez-faire capitalism. This form of capitalism opposed the idea of mercantilism. However, laissez-faire capitalism was appealing to many emerging political industrialists since it allowing factory owners to impose almost any circumstance on their employees without governmental interference. This ideology allowed for many years of greedy self-interest on the industrialist’s behalf. Though not intended during the duration of those years, the working classes suffered from the oppressive effects of unrestrained power, as extracted from Document 2. The economic philosophy of laissez-faire capitalism may have been well intended, and it did provide lower prices on items to the consumer; it was not worth the trade-off of oppression that lowered the standards of living for the working classes.

The political arena of the 18th and early 19th century was rife with controversy and debate that concerned the effects of the Industrial Revolution and their consequences. The effects were such of an insatiable demand for coal and other ingredients of industry. Nonetheless, as a consequence, the exploitation of human labor under inhumane conditions to obtain such necessary ingredients led to an outcry by the working classes for regulation, as taken from Document 3 and 5. Though this outcry did grasp the attention of the public and many politicians, the labor laws created to remedy such unseemly practices as strapping and child profiteering did little to alleviate the situation. This era of political shifts and revelations, though prevalent throughout society, did only a modest job at bettering the living standards of the working and was overshadowed by the unwavering support of the detrimental effects of laissez-faire government that could have been over turned by the parliaments throughout Europe.

The Industrial Revolution brought many wonders and advancements to the world. It broadened the middle-class and bought fortunes to many people. However, it exposed the problems of an unrestrained society based on self-interest leaving the working-classes to be burdened by these principles. The living standards of many classes increased during the 18th and early 19th century, but the urban and rural working classes experienced a decrease in living standards due to the fundamental changes in society.

Bibliography

Lintvedt, Forsyth, and Gould. “WEST SOC AP WB(DBQ) 8ED: A History … -.” Google Book Search. 17 Feb. 2009 .