Contributing Factors and Effects
Contributing Factors and Effects of American Industrial Revolution
In an era of globalization, various countries and areas meet different challenges and opportunities. During the process of grasping the chances and dealing with the challenges, different countries gradually develop themselves. One of the countries which are good at seizing opportunities to reach its developing goal is the United States and one of the examples which show this countries’ advantages is the period during the American Industrial Revolution. As a matter of fact, the industrial reform in America really has a significant impact on the society and also the following advancement in all kinds of social undertakings. Honestly speaking, the political precondition, agricultural foundations, and technical factors all contribute to America’s industrial revolution, which results in the social advancement in population, urbanization and economy, but at the same time broadens the gap of wealth.
The political policies related to the tariff, agricultural improvement, and the relatively mature techniques lead to America’s industrial revolution. To begin with, the government policies related to the tariff is an important factor for the successful conduct of the revolution in the USA. The policy of tax gives some limitations on the foreign productions, and thus protecting the local development in industry. The tariff policy came into effect in the year of 1816 (Fred). Gradually, the local industry witnesses rapid development under the protection of the tariff. Consequently, the government’s tax policy provides suitable political precondition for the possibility of the developing the modern industry independently. Secondly, the prosperous phenomenon in agriculture lays a good foundation for the industrial development. In the 19th century, American agriculture witnessed prosperous advancement, and thus providing enough original materials and resources for the progress in the industry. Furthermore, the maturity of the technology is also a contributing factor for the developing possibility of industrial revolution. In the early 19th century, there were some factories established on the mainland of America (“Causes and Effects”). At the same time, there is some new technical invention which ensures the continuing operation of the factories. The success of industrial revolution can never be separated from the support of technologies.
Based on the above contributing elements, the industrial revolution takes place in America, and it has a significant effect on the American society. For example, the number of the population in the cities raises dramatically. The industrial revolution has driven the prosperity of large cities, and that’s why more and more people in America flow into the cities out of the pursuit of better life. To be specific, in 1860, there were more twenty cities whose population exceeded 100 thousand (Martin). In addition, the revolution in industry promotes the booming condition in the economy. The updating of the technology improves the productivity. In that case, the working and productive effectiveness have also been enhanced. As a result, the economy of American society is driven greatly.
Though with benefits, America’s industrial revolution still has some positive influence on the American society. On the one hand, it enlarges the gap of wealth. To be specific, there is a noticeable difference between the wages of the workers and the income of the factory holders. Therefore, there is apparent wealth gap between the working class and the middle class. On the other hand, the industrial revolution in America also causes the economic divide between the North and the South. The North of the United States actively accepts and welcomes the changes and benefits brought by the revolution. In that case, the development of the North strikes the development of the plantation economy in the South, which finally leads to the outbreak of the American Civil War.
According to the above illustrations, it is quite apparent that there are three main factors in politics, agriculture, and technology respectively that cause an industrial revolution in America. Generally speaking, the revolution brings benefits to the American society. For one thing, the raising of the population in the cities promote the advancement of large cities. For another, the revolution facilitates the promotion of the American economy. However, it also has some negative effects. To be concrete, it not only accelerates the gap of the wealth between different classes but also aggravates the economic contradiction between the North and the South in America.