Western civilization. Industrial Revolution and Political Theories Essay

Western civilization. Industrial Revolution and Political Theories - Essay Example According to Montagna (2009), industrial revolution happened from 1750 to 1850 beginning in the United Kingdom spreading to Western Europe, Japan and North America. The industrial revolution was a major turning point in history. This marked the first time in history where living standards of ordinary people underwent sustainable growth. There are some innovations that are regarded to as the origins of the industrial revolution. These discoveries were in metal industry, textiles and the discovery of steam power (Montagna, 2009). Innovations in the textile industry included; the spinning jenny by James Hargreaves, the water frame by Richard Arkwright and the spinning mule by Samuel Crompton. These three sectors paved way for the industrial revolution. Before the revolution, wool was the major raw material in the textile industry. After these innovations the textile industry grew remarkably, since the exploitation of other raw materials like cotton was possible. Replacement of tradition al fuels like wood with coal saw a major change in the metal industry (Montagna, 2009). The coal produced a lot of heat and carbon monoxide reducing oxidation. Coal was a good fuel since impurities which were contained in it, did not migrate to the metal. This resulted in the iron industry growing remarkably. The stationary steam engine also paved way for the industrial revolution. ... This caused many children to find jobs in factories where they were paid very little income. The industrial revolution also resulted in high crime rate and social evils. As a result of high population, many people ended up jobless. This prompted them to engage in crime and other social evils such prostitution in order to earn a living. The industrial revolution also had an impact on the social class structure (Montagna, 2009). It resulted in the rise of middle class businessmen who rose above the noble class who owned large tracks of land. It also saw an increase of low class citizens who worked for minimum wages in the factories. The industrial revolution saw the development of good housing for the owners of the factories and very poor housing for the workers and laborers. Industrial revolution also resulted in poor health in the society. This was as a result of air, water and land pollution from the industries. Factories dumped toxic materials in land and water bodies which were in turn absorbed by people through food and drinking water. Many workers also suffered from lung diseases from the fumes which were present in the factories. The industrial revolution saw the emergence of workers unions and trade unions to fight for the rights of the workers. Most employer laws that we have today were as result of these trade unions. Lesson 8: Political Theories In this part of the assignment I will use Delacroix Eugene’s painting â€Å"Liberty Leading the People (28th July 1830)†. Source: Olga’s Gallery (2012) This painting is used to depict the celebration in 28th July 1830, where the people decided rise and dethrone king, replacing him with Louis