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Industrial revolution

The industrial revolution was a transition to the new manufacturing process from the

period 1760 to 1820 (King and Geoffrey 12). The United States and Europe were the leading

regions during the transition. The period saw a transition from hand production methods to a

large scale new chemical production methods and iron production processes. There was an

improvement in the use of water, increase in steam power usage, rise of factory system and

development of machine tools. The industrial revolution marked a turning point in the history of

humanity. Every aspect of a person’s daily life was changed from the way materials was

produced, income, living standards, and politics (King and Geoffrey 68).

Despite the immense growth experienced during this period, it had a cost on the

life of the people. Many individuals suffered at the expense of the growing economies. One such

aspect of life that was destroyed, or rather compromised was freedom. Freedom is an essential

aspect or part of a human life. A person without freedom is more like a slave. Industrial

revolution through various politics and uncontrollable owners saw it that freedom was less of a

right for the people. Authors such as Shelley, Mill, Marx, and Ibsen through their literary works

shed light on the issue of freedom in the industrial revolution period. This paper will look at their

literary works and relate it to freedom in the context of the industrial revolution.

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The book by Mary Shelley Frankenstein tells the story of a young scientist by the name

of Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein creates a grotesque creature in an unorthodox scientific

experiment (Bloom 13). The language that is used by Mary Shelley in the book is a dramatic one

which she uses to highlight life in England during the industrial revolution era. She manages to

use a combination of fear and wonder and the potential it had for England during that period. In

the story, the monster Frankenstein is feared by the people. It's great physique, strength and

appearance drive fear into the heart of men. The monster tries to be part of the community, but it

is not allowed to the people. The protesters fought against the infiltration of the monster into

their lives to a point where a neighbor relocates his family away from the monster (Bloom 83).

From this excerpt, it can be identified that the changes through the industrial revolution

broke down the freedom people had. For example, the neighbor that relocated his family had no

freedom to live peacefully. The monsters influence was growing, and the only option he was left

with was to move from his cottage. It can be argued that the author saw the industrial revolution

compromised on the freedom of people just to live in peace. The people wanted to live their lives

without the influence of the machines. However, the authorities and the developers were turning

blind to the cause of the citizens. To the author, the freedom that she wanted regarding industrial

revolution was to be free from the influence of the changes that was happening during that time.

Karl Marx was one of the most influential people during the 19th century. The only

positive thing that Karl Marx had to say about the industrial revolution was that that era was a

stepping stone towards an ideal society that he envisioned. Other than this view, he saw that the

industrial revolution was merely a stage where people were dehumanized. In his work Poverty of

Philosophy, he wrote that men change their mode of production in acquiring new productive

forces (Marx 79). He further adds that in changing the mode of production, or the way of living,

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people end up changing their social relations. Karl Marx envisioned a society that had economic

freedom.

At the time of the industrial revolution, people were fixated with machines. It was the

only way a person could make a living. Many people at the time worked in the manufacturing

plants that were cropping up everywhere. As much as this stage was a stepping stone towards an

ideal world, Marx saw the revolution as infringing on economic freedom. Economic freedom is

where a person can undertake any economic actions. These economic actions should be humane

unlike that of the industrial revolution which he termed as dehumanizing. Apart from economic

freedom, Marx also saw that industrial revolution compromised the right to adequate standard of

living for the workers. All of them were leading a horrible life, and the pay was also poor. The

dehumanizing nature of the manufacturing plants was a concern to Marx. For Marx, he viewed

the industrial revolutionists through the prism of an absolute zero sum game where the capitalist

continued to be wealthier at the expense of underpaid laborers. The industrial revolution period

was both exploitative and dehumanizing from Marx’s point of view.

John Stuart Mill was an English political economist, English philosopher, civil servant,

and a feminist. During the industrial revolution, Mill was against most of the ills that were

brought about by the changes. One of is fiercest arguments during the industrial revolution was

economic liberty. This was the freedom of the market to adjust itself. Mills argued that economic

liberty ensured that there was progress in the economy. He further added that the government

does not interfere in the economy because it will bring about the undesirable effect. One of the

main ills during the industrial revolution was government fixation with the market where they

had to manipulate it to produce the desirable effects. This more than often caused the opposite

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leading to economy disruption and failure. Mill was against the government undertakings, and he

preferred economy freedom where the market had to settle itself.

Apart from economic liberty, Mills wanted the freedom to vote for women. During the

industrial revolution, women were not allowed to cast their votes for any political person they

favored (Williams 35). Voting was only restricted to men at the time. His fight for women to

vote brought him many critics at the time. He visualized industrial revolution to be a system that

downgraded on women’s ability to choose between the right candidate and the unworthy one. In

addition to freedom of vote, Mills related the industrial revolution to great differences in wealth.

This was a sign of the inequity that existed at the time. The poor workers did not have a choice

and had to work for the capitalists to earn a living. As much as living standard was involved, the

freedom to choose a different working path was limited, and this further worsened the living

standards of people during this time.

Unlike the other Shelly, Marx, and Mills, Ibsen concentrated on the upper-middle class

family life. Ibsen was born at the start of the industrial revolution, and he always pursued his

love for arts. All of his work represents the reality of bourgeois life. During his time, the upper-

middle-class families saw themselves be a superior class compared to the dissolute working

class. Ibsen pulled the curtain back on these assertions; he believed that the middle class was

patriarchal, cruel controlling, and manipulative. Most of Ibsen works was only for the Norwegian

people to be free from Danish rule. Ibsen wanted freedom from Danish influence regarding

Norwegian arts. With the help of Bjornson, they managed to get rid the country of Danish

influence and established Norwegian Art. Compared to the other three, Ibsen work was not as

pronounced as the three when it came to the effects of industrial revolution on the social

changes.

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In conclusion, the industrial revolution brought with it some undesirable effects on the

people. One of those issues was overworking laborers. Laborers were overworked but underpaid

at the same time. Their living standards were poor compared to other classes. In contrast, the

upper middle class as illustrated by Ibsen in his works were leading a comfortable life. They had

everything but at the expense of the suffering laborers. The upper class as well are swimming in

wealth while the lower class are living in debts. Karl Marx highlights the plight of the laborers

while Shelly illustrates the effect of the industrial revolution to the social life of the people. Mills

show how the industrial revolution and the governments meddled with the economy. All these

individuals had an impact during the industrial revolution, and each had his or her stand against a

particular aspect of that era.

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Works Cited

King, Steven, and Geoffrey Timmins. Making Sense of the Industrial Revolution: [english

Economy and Society 1700-1850]. Manchester: Manchester Univ. Press, 2001. Print.

Bloom, Harold. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publ, 2007. Print.

Marx, Karl, and A P. Thakur. The Poverty of Philosophy. New Delhi, India: Global Vision Pub.

House, 2008. Print.

Williams, Brian. Women Win the Vote: 6 February 1918. Slough: Cherrytree, 2009. Print.

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