Industrialisation

If the victory of the industrial North over the slave-holding South in the Civil War had not already sealed the fate of the American economy, the forces of western expansion, population growth, and urbanization (see VUS. These forces all helped transform the American economy from an agrarian to an industrial one.

The transition from an agricultural to an industrial economy took more than a century in the United States, but that long development entered its first phase from the 1790s through the 1830s.

1830s

The unprecedented levels of production in domestic manufacturing and commercial agriculture during this period greatly strengthened the American economy and reduced dependence on imports. The Industrial Revolution resulted in greater wealth and a larger population in Europe as well as in the United States.

Industrialization, along with new inventions in transportation including the railroad, generated economic growth. There was now a large working class, and this would eventually lead to conflict between workers and factory owners. Working men and women led strikes to demand better working conditions.

The Industrial Revolution increased the standard of living for many by the big quantities of goods for lower prices produced by the factory system. Social mobility became more accessible and increased political rights.

What impact did industrialization have on social class and social inequality? It made social inequality worse by making the rich much wealthier than before, while the poor struggled. The Industrial Revolution also created the middle class and the working class.