Amatruda Piero                                                                V B                                                                         17.09.2011

Text Analysis: The chief Features of the Industrial Revolution

In the extract of”The Industrial Revolution” “The Chief Features of the Industrial Revolution” Arnold Toynbee examines the fundamental aspects of this revolution.This phenonemon led some radical changes in nineteenth century England and in the western world . Toynbee says:”The essence of the Industrial Revolution is the substition of competition for the medieval regulation which had previously  controlled the production and distribution of wealth”. Has two sistems of thought : Economic Science and its antithesis  Socialism . The four great English economist that Arnol Toynbee shows on his composition are: Adam Smith, Malthus, Ricardo and John Stuart Mill . Then he analyses the facts of the industrial devolution like the far grater rapidity  wich marks the growth of population and the decline in the agricolturanl population . The principal causes of decrease in rural population are: the destruction of the commonfield system of coltivation and the enclosuore of common and waste lands . But in this period there is  also an agricoltural advance with more scientific approach like sostitution of large for small farms and reducing the numbers of farms . During the Industrial Revolution there was also a growth of industry: in texile industry and in iron industry . In the first case the inventions was: the spinning- jenny by Hargraves in 1770, the water- fram by Arkwright, Crompton’s mule in 1779 and self acting mule by kelly in 1792 . In the second case the invention was: the steam engine to blast furnaces  and an engine for a cotton-mill .  There were also improbe means of communication like Grand Trunk canal, turnpike road and railroad . There was also a devolution in distribution of wealth so the rise in rents was caused by: enclosoure sistem consolidation of farms and the high price of corn .In general the Industrial devolution led social change in manufacturing world: a change in the balance of political power and in teìhe relative position of classes . The most important sentence in this extract is: ”The effects of the Industrial revolution prove that free competition may produce wealth without producing well-being .” So according to Arnold Toynbee the Industrial revolution can generate more wealth without improving the welfare . In my opersonal opinion this is true . In conclusion I believe that the thesis and arguments are described by the writer are very important because they show us the conditions of English society during this period .