Activities

Complete the following notes. They will give you an outline of the information contained in the passage. The main points, relations of cause-effect, illustrations etc. are clearly indicated in the text by logical connectors. Look out for them.

• (par. 1) The Industrial Revolution led to growth of two systems of thought:

1) Economic science 2) Socialism

• (par. 2-3) Facts of Industrial Revolution.

• (par. 4) Decrease in rural population.

causes:1) The destruction of the common-field system of cultivation

2) The enclosure, on a large scale, of common and waste lands

3) The consolidation of small farms into large

• (par. 5) Agricultural advance.

cause - more scientific approach:

e.g.

• (par. 6-7) Growth of industry.

causes;

1) mechanical inventions in textile industry

e.g. Spinning-jenny, water-frame, Crompton's mule, self-acting mule and power-loom

most important:

2) mechanical revolution in iron industry

e.g.      Smelting by pit-coal

3) improved means of communication

e.g.      

results:1) extraordinary increase in commerce

  2) substitution of factory system for domestic system.

• (par. 8) Revolution in distribution of wealth: rise in rents caused by

social changes in country life:

• (par. 9) Social changes in manufacturing world:

The new class of great capitalist employers made enormous fortunes, they took little or no part personally in the work of their factories, their hundreds of workmen were individually unknown to them

1) the older relations between masters and man disappeared

2) a "cash nexus" was substituted for the human pie

3) class conflict.

• (par. 10) Misery of working people often caused by:

Essay:

The piece "The Chief Features of the Industrial Revolution" account about the changes in England and in the Europe after the Industrial Revolution.

The central point of the passage deals with the Industrial Revolution who can get wealth producing ease.

Arnold Toynbee presents the reader some informations about the radical changes in nineteenth century England and he starts with a short introduction which present briefly the themes of the piece.

The text is divided in ten parts: the first paragraph deals with the same things treated in the introduction, in the second paragraph the author decides to write about the growth of Economic Science in England.

Paragraphs from third to sixth deal with the situation of population, the role of the agrarian revolution and the causes of decrease of rural population.

The seventh paragraph is presented with the consequences of the mechanical discoveries and the eighth paragraph comes up with the means of communications.

The text isn't complicated to understand because the arguments are very clearly explained in detail and the author gives the reader clear and detailed informations about the argument.