What type of impact did the Industrial Revolution
have on the world population in general and the
population of Europe in particular?
, The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Populations
The first definition of the term Industrial Revolution describes the remarkable change in
England from 1760 till 1850. During this time, England transformed from a, as cited by Clark
(2010), “largely self-sufficient, self-sustaining and still principally agrarian society” (p. 148) to
a society where lots of products were imported or extracted from the earth, and most of the
population worked in or for either industries or trade (Clark, 2010, p. 148).
The term Industrial Revolution, on the one hand, thus refers to the rise of industrialisation
and its expansion in relation to other parts of the economy. For example, services and
agriculture expanded as well. Within this area, the production growth in the iron and cotton
industry increased by a factor of at least a hundred. However, it is not always true that the
expansion of industries happens due to industrialisation. For example, while Britain was one
of the first countries where the Industrial Revolution started, they were still industrialising
at the end of the 29th century. Moreover, agricultural production did not increase but
declined. The rapid urbanisation that resulted from the Industrial Revolution was also linked
with the rise of services. Moreover, the Industrial Revolution resulted in an increase in per
capita income across the economy (More, 2000, p. 3).
Around 1820, the incomes per capita in a select set of countries began to rise substantially.
As a result, the income per capita increased between ten and fifteen times in the wealthiest
countries during the last two decades. This resulted in the contemporary world being born.
Therefore, the Industrial Revolution is one of the most important events in economic history
(Clark, 2014, p. 217).
The second definition refers to the transition in the global economy around the 1800s. It
changed from an economy with a shallow rate of efficiency growth to an economy where
this growth was consistent and rapid (Clark, 2010, p. 148). During the period of the
Industrial Revolution, there were thus many changes in the economy, health, and
population of several countries. Therefore, this essay analyses what type of impact the first
Industrial Revolution had on the world population in general and the population of Europe
in particular, looking at the developments mentioned above.
At the beginning of the 18th century, industries in Europe were primarily working on a small
scale and primitive. In mid 18th century, new technologies and techniques created the way
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