Theme of the Impact of Industrialization on European society, politics and imperialism in the 19th century

19th Century Europe and the Consequences of the Industrial Revolution

Introduction

Industrialism in 19th Century Europe had such a profound effect on European politics , society and imperialism that the period is referred to as the Industrial Revolution . The idea of the Nation-State , the emergence and fortification of Liberalism , the rise of materialism and the strength of the masses all came together in 19th Century Europe as a direct result of industrialism (Hayes , 1941 ) These changes in politics society and imperialism are all exploited in literary works during that era . This will

examine these changes by reference to three of these works , Hard Times by Charles Dickens , The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and The Tools of Empire by Daniel Headrick

Industrialism

Industrialism in 19th Century Europe brought with it a number of economic and cultural changes . These changes were a natural response to rapid growth and development of technology and the economy with the result that European nations were experiencing some internal difficulties adjusting to the new era . All of these changes and adjustments were characterized by class disparities and changing values that were inclined toward materialism . As previously noted the fallout created new political movements , many of which were expressed in the literature and historical accounts of the times

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Images of the industrial era and its impact on European society is immediately obvious in Charles Dickens ' Hard Times . Factory presence and utilitarianism are poignantly present throughout Hard Times which is set in Coketown , a fictional industrial city . From the onset Dickens sets out the changing attitude toward education and learning to emphasize just how the industrial era was automating man into the likeness of a machine . It stands as a satire on utlilitarianism . Schoolmaster Thomas Gradgrind , described by Dickens as a man of realities (Dickens , 2006 4 ) declares

Now , what I want is , Facts . Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts . Facts alone are wanted in life . Plant nothing else , and root out everything else (Dickens , 2006 , 3

Reliance on facts as an effective source of education was the hallmark of utilitarianism one of the greatest reform movements in Great Britain during the industrial era in the 19th Century (Roach ) Dickens continuous allusion to the word facts ' in the first chapter of his book is a form of mockery of the ideals of utilitarianism which was viewed by many during the Industrial period as a tool for the mechanization ' of the masses (Roach ) Its emphasis on fact undermined creativity and by mocking facts in the way that Dickens did in Hard Times was no more than a form of social protest against the utilitarianism that was brought on by the Industrial era

Dickens ' social protest is also manifested by his associated the mind of the child with that of a vessel ' which is ready to have imperial gallons of facts poured (Dickens , 2006 ,8 ) In this way the process of mechanization begins . Thomas encourages his students to rely only...