Revolution Essay, Research Paper

The Agricultural And Industrial Revolution

The agricultural and industrial revolutions greatly changed daily life in

Europe. The agricultural revolution created a widespread social misery of its own when

small fields were converted into large farms. The industrial revolution brought people to

work in the factories to manufacture goods in increased numbers. With these two

factors, the lives of Europeans in the eighteenth century were changed forever.

The agricultural revolution enabled farmers to produce high yields on

their lands. These farmers or landlords needed larger fields to plant their crops so the

smaller plots of land that were subdivided were connected. Horse-hoeing, adapted by

Jethro Tull, came about when farmers realized that it was more efficient than scattering

seeds over the ground surface. Lord Townshend’s idea of crop rotation became the

standard for many English estates. His crop rotation involved planting an entire field of

turnips, barley, clover, and wheat in a four year cycle. This increased fertility in the soil.

With these advancements, more crops could be grown by fewer farmers. The small

farmers, or yeomen, could no longer afford to farm. The common lands, now a part of

these large plots of land, could not be accessed by the small farmers. The yeomen could

not afford tools or install fences, so they were forced to either become workers on these

large farms or work in the city and give up farming all together.

These changes in agriculture brought about change in industry. As the

small farmers moved to the cities for work, this brought about the industrial revolution

and urbanization. The European society saw a rise not only of the cities, but of a new

class of people who came to be known as capitalists. This class was based upon

ownership and control over the means of production. More and more people began to

work in factories and people became accustomed to buying more. New ideas and

innovations in production appeared, from what the product was, to how and where it was

being produced. Society saw a shift in production of primary goods to the production of

manufactured goods. Workers began to rely upon machinery and tools to become

specialized in a certain tasks of production. This specialization led to routine, which in

turn led to an increase in productivity. This is how the industrial revolution led to major

changes in society.

With the agricultural revolution bringing about change in society, this brought

about the industrial revolution and the changes that came with it. The mass migration of

people from the farm fields to the factories created great change that revolutionized

European society in the eighteenth century.