Industrial Revolution Impact on Society, The Concept of Nation-State, and Imperialism

Name:
Professor’s name:
Course:
Date:
Reflections
Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution reduced the cost of production and thus increased profitability as the market prices had a higher margin than the justice price. Consequently, the improvement of the quality of life due to fair rewarding of labor, a key factor of production, translated to an increase in the population which adversely affected the law of supply and demand on sustainability through the inadequate food supply. The supply of labor would further go higher than its demand and hence spread of harsh labor conditions in the 19th century the available opportunities could not cater for the overwhelming demand for jobs (Hartwell). The owners of the means of productions capitalized on the surplus labor to maximize profits through low wages and poor working conditions which significantly reduced their cost of production.
England spearheaded the first Industrial Revolution owing to its large acquisition of resources such as large deposits of raw materials, financial infrastructure that provided capital for industrial investment, consumers, and labor supply from the country and its colonies (Hartwell). Its textile industry was rivaled by none in the world and through its vast network of railroads traversed different parts of the world for its imperialist endeavor which further expanded its control over factors of production driving the industrial revolution. Ownership of the means of production is still in control over the distribution of wealth today as countries with the means benefit at the expense of the underdeveloped nations with the raw materials and cheap labor. The discussion of the Irish Potato Famine in the unit serves to highlight the impacts of the capitalist or free market economy brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Britain and their attempt to coerce their neighbors to adopt the new system.
Industrialization subjected women to a lesser role of production as it only favored those with the capability and means to control the means of production. Nevertheless, filial affiliations to their male counterparts with such factors also construed them to the latter’s social class (Hartwell). In today’s world industrialization promotes inequality through unequal or unfair reward of labor through lower wages for women working in the same capacity as their male colleagues.
Nation-State
The nation is indeed a stable concept upon which a state should be created as it embraces the shared values and beliefs held by the majority. The nation as a concept of creating a state builds around the respect of individual rights and freedoms to own land and other forms of properties or means of production. During the colonization of the Latin Americas by Spain, all sorts of production were directed towards enriching the nobles or elite in the society who enjoyed autonomy over the assets and the division of income. Under the concept of the nation loyalty to the state is based on the former’s ability to protect the property rights of its citizens and facilitate the accumulation of wealth through free trade (Hoffmann). The concept of a nation may also mandate the states to control some means of production for the benefit of its pe...