Industrialization

Origins

The origins of industrialization are often linked to the industrial revolution, which began in England during the 18th century. However, much of the course of industrialization is to be understood as an evolution of ideals that can be traced back as early as the 16th century with inventors and theorists such as Galileo and Descartes. Later, inventions and innovations such as Thomas Savory's steam engine in England in 1698 or Eli Whitney's cotton gin in the United States in 1793 allowed for a process of labor and governance in society that would enhance more effective methods of production. Textiles, steam power, and the modern use of coal, iron, and steel were industrious modifications that accelerated production and transportation during the second half of the 18th century.

Process

French economist Jean Fourastié identified three fundamental economic sectors in the process of industrialization. The primary sector consists of farming and rudimentary mining, the second sector comprises manufacturing and the process of assembly or production, and the third sector is mostly dedicated to the service industry. The process of industrialization can be traced through these three sectors and their historical evolution. However, the initiation of the industrial revolution can be identified as occurring between the first two stages, where society moved from being agrarian to the mechanization of production in almost every aspect of human labor. Industrialization redefined production: It went from being essential [Page 899]and exclusive for survival to an aspect of a culture of labor for wealth accumulation.

The use of coal, for example, can be traced back to 287 BCE when it was used for fire and heating; during the industrial revolution, it was used as fuel for the steam engine. During the 1850s, the Bessemer process brought significant improvements in the processing of iron and steel, because it removed impurities; the process prevented oxidation and corrosion and allowed for better and longer use of these materials. The process of industrialization can also be illustrated with the textile industry. Prior to the 18th century, most textiles were produced on a rudimentary scale. In England, the textile industry was transformed with inventions such as John Kay's flying shuttle in 1733 and James Hargreaves's spinning jenny 30 years later. These apparatuses allowed a significant increase in the capacity of textile production by removing arduous artisanal operations and transforming textile manufacture into an industrial process. A few years later, the cotton gin would create a similar effect in the plantation economy of the United States, where the production of cotton tripled in 20 years. The industrial age lasted from the late 16th century to the 20th century. During this process of industrialization, changes in social practices also occurred. These changes included new ways of enhancing labor and economic practices and networks of social organizations to support them. England and the United States are considered to be the hallmarks of the industrialized movement and its greatest proponents. Industrial organization theory was advanced in these two countries by businessmen such as Frederick Winslow Taylor, who pioneered industrial efficiency theory, and Henry Fayol, who helped develop the mining industry and management theory that would shape the way organized labor was understood in the 20th century. Furthermore, the structured forms of labor that were advanced by these theories helped to set the pace of economic development in the modern capitalist world. They transformed economic society from the previous rudimentary economic practices, such as bartering and vestigial commerce.

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