The Industrial Revolution

• Industrial Revolution involved a shift from a rural, handicraft economy to an urban, machine-driven mass manufacturing system.
• Some historians argue it concluded around 1914.
• Farming remained a constant presence throughout.

Causes of the Industrial Revolution

• Increased population led to increased demand for goods.
• Foreign markets in colonies provided avenues for trade.
• Laws protecting property encouraged capitalist endeavors.
• Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" advocated for minimal government intervention in the economy (Laissez Faire) and division of labor for mass production.
• Division of labor led to less skilled labor and lower wages, contributing to Napoleon's ban of guilds.

Timeline and Location

• Different regions experienced the Industrial Revolution at various times.
• Western Europe, Great Britain, and North America became world powers during this era.

First Industrial Revolution

• Primarily confined to the British Isles from approximately 1780 to 1830.

Why Britain?

• Adam Smith was British and promoted British ideals.
• Agricultural Revolution boosted crop production, reducing the need for agricultural labor and lowering food prices.
• London was a major trade center.
• Lack of tolls and tariffs
• Access to capital and transportation was readily available.
• Parliament funded the construction of canals and harbors.
• Britain was spared from the destruction of the Napoleonic Wars.
• The government did not attempt to control trade, but outlawed emigration of artisans and exportation of machinery.
• Access to markets and natural resources was facilitated by colonies.

Main Industry

• British Textile Companies thrived, spurred by tariffs on East Indian Cottons.
• Technological advancements included the Spinning Jenny and Water Frame.
• The Cotton Gin in America further boosted cotton production.
• Machinery was moved into factories powered by water wheels, later replaced by steam engines.
• By 1815, cotton constituted 40% of British exports.

The Factory System

• Characterized by centralized locations near water, workers, resources, and transportation.
• Large machinery was housed in huge buildings, with labor organized around Adam Smith's theories and assembly lines.

Working Conditions

• Free Market Capitalism prevailed, with private ownership and minimal government interference (Laissez Faire policies).
• Government policies lacked regulations, minimum wage, regulated working hours, and labor protections.
• Women faced sexual assault, and bathroom privileges were controlled by employers.
• Child labor was common in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
• The Enlightenment did not address the labor system, prompting new philosophers like Karl Marx to critique it.

Effects of the First Industrial Revolution

• Shift from rural to urban areas led to urbanization issues such as pollution, lack of sanitation, urban anonymity, crime, and prostitution.
• Transition from agrarian to industrial economies brought some social mobility, with education enabling the rise of a middle class.
• However, child labor and housing shortages persisted.
• Trains, pioneered by George Stephenson, improved transportation and facilitated trade.

Trade Unions/ Society

• Trade unions emerged to protect workers.
• Luddites sabotaged machinery in protest of job displacement.
• Strikes, though outlawed, occurred as workers sought better conditions.
• Some viewed socialism as a potential solution.

The Creation of a German Empire

• Otto von Bismarck, the Prime Minister of Prussia, pursued a policy of Realpolitik, prioritizing practicality over ideology or morality.
• He formed the New German Confederation after the Austro-Prussian War and orchestrated the Franco-Prussian War through the Ems Telegram.
• Prussia's powerful military, led by a Chief of Staff and General Staff, achieved victory, leading to the declaration of the Second German Reich in 1871 with Wilhelm I named Kaiser.
• French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine were ceded to Germany.

Constitution

• Kaiser Wilhelm I -> Prime Minister and General Staff -> Reichstag
• Legislative body of Germany
• Common man had no real power

Second Industrial Revolution

• The US and Germany surpassed Britain, leading to World War I.
• Inventions included electricity, chemical batteries, phones, cars, and the light bulb.
• Engines such as the steam turbine and internal combustion engine were developed.

Steel

• The Bessemer Process revolutionized steel production.
• Carnegie Steel in Pittsburgh and Krupp Steel works in Essen became major steel producers.
• By 1914, Germany produced twice as much steel as Britain, while the US produced four times as much.

Population

• Increased population in the Western world from 1870 to 1914 was driven by declining infant mortality rates and improved sanitation and diet.

The Rise of Big Business

• Corporations run by CEOs emerged, issuing shares (stock).
• Monopolies consolidated control over markets through vertical and horizontal integration and trusts.
• Corporate espionage and stock manipulation tactics were employed.

The Works of Karl Marx

• Karl Marx advocated for an equal society with shared wealth.
• In "The Communist Manifesto" (1848), he critiqued private property and envisioned a Proletariat revolution leading to a classless, stateless society with communal ownership.
• In "Capital" (1867), he argued that workers were denied their rightful share of profits.
• The socialist world split between purists, revisionists, and anarchists.

Events

• The Haymarket Affair in Chicago (bombing during protest for 8-hour work days) and Bloody Sunday in Trafalgar Square (police violence against protesters) highlighted class tensions.
• Vladimir Lenin's "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism" (1917) linked imperialism to capitalist monopolies.

Imperialism

• Chinese government, influenced by Confucianism, heavily controlled trade through the Cohong system.
• Trade imbalances led to opium being introduced by the British East India Company, sparking the Opium Wars.
• Unequal treaties dismantled Chinese sovereignty, dividing China into spheres of influence.
• The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) and Self-Strengthening Movement attempted to address China's challenges.

Revolution

• The British East India Company expanded into India, leading to the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and subsequent direct rule by the British government.
• British rule brought opportunities for Western education but also economic exploitation and racial discrimination.
• Key concepts such as the "White Man's Burden" and scientific racism justified imperialism.

Japan’s modernization

• Japan underwent modernization after the US, led by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, opened the country in 1853 leading to The Meiji Restoration.
• The Meiji Restoration brought about centralization, industrialization, and modernization, including a constitutional monarchy based on the German model.
• Economic reforms transitioned Japan from socialism to capitalism, with state-led industrialization later transferred to private hands.
• Japan became the only colonized Asian nation.

The Colonization of Africa

• The British dominated Egypt, leading to the construction of the Suez Canal and indirect rule over the country.
• King Leopold II of Belgium exploited the Congo through coerced labor for rubber and ivory extraction.
• The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) set ground rules for European colonization in Africa, leading to the scramble for Africa.

Power Dynamics

• The balance of power in Europe shifted with the formation of the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) and the Reinsurance Treaty between Germany and Russia.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II's Weltpolitik led to German imperial competition and naval arms race with Britain.
• The Franco-Russian Alliance and Anglo-Russian Convention further reshaped alliances, leading to the Triple Entente (France, Russia, UK).

Russia and US

• In Asia, Russia sought a warm water port leading to the Russo-Japanese War.
• America established the Open Door Policy in China.
• The Boxer Rebellion saw European powers suppress anti-foreigner movements.
• The Great Trek and Boer Wars unfolded in South Africa, culminating in British dominance and the establishment of concentration camps.
• Imperial Japan emerged after the Russo-Japanese War, challenging scientific racism.

Causes of WWI

• Czar Nicholas II's autocratic rule and resistance to industrialization contributed to the Russian Revolution of 1905 led to The rise of the Duma but they have no power and they do a peaceful protest so they fail.
• The Anglo German naval arms race increased tensions, alongside further Formation of alliances with the Entente Cordiale 1904 among France and Britain followed by two other countries.