The Industrial Revolution and the Age of Globalization: The Impacts on Social and Economic Change

The Industrial Revolution and the Age of Globalization

Throughout history, many social and economic changes have occurred under both positive and negative circumstances. The industrial revolution and age of globalization are two time periods that have had colossal changes in social and economic life caused by urbanization, social class division and change of family structure.

The industrial revolution made waves through urban and rural life in England. Many poor farmers saw the city as a metaphorical gold mine and an opportunity for them to make more money.

Although many thought that living in an urban area would be better, there were drastic socioeconomic differences in comparison to rural life. When people moved to the city, they worked long, hard hours with little to no breaks. If they didn’t follow every guideline of their work they were fired and quickly replaced. This caused significant changes in family structure. Once a child was old enough, they went straight into a factory, Children as young as age 5 were working long hours with no breaks because of the lack of child labor regulations at the time.

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However, the industrial revolution did bring about different economic changes. According to document 3. The industrial revolution transformed England from a “developing” country to a “developed” one. But it seems that this was at the expense of its people because according to document 6b, factory workers made a great deal of money yet living in horribly made towns and disgusting slums.

The age of globalization also caused many socioeconomic changes to occur.

According to document 7, “The expansion of world trade has led to a multitude of dramatic changes [...] countries have seen their fortunes soar as foreign investment poured in, creating factories and providing jobs for millions of people.” The age of globalization created a new interdependency between world economies and in turn increased the living standard of many countries. The age of globalization has also had an impact on the social lives of many. Political and social globalization spread ideas of different forms of government and encouraged different social choices and behaviors. The age of globalization also had negative aspects to it. According to document 7, many lost their jobs as a result of globalization and live in uncertainty. Also, according to document 9, people have become “powerless” because globalization has made many too powerful.

In conclusion, both the age of globalization and the industrial revolution have had extreme and significant effects on the socioeconomic aspects of life. The changes were both positive and negative and still affect our world today.