The second industrial revolution, also commonly referred to as the technological revolution, denotes a period of enhanced industrialization, mass production, standardization, and scientific discovery. The first industrial revolution’s end resulted in a slowdown in essential inventions. However, the advent of the second revolution sparked numerous manufacturing innovations, like steel production, the manufacture of interchangeable parts, and innovations in the machine tool industry. Many historians dated the second industrial revolution from 1870 to the First World War in 1914.
The second industrial revolution played a critical role in urbanization. Initially, up to 80% of humankind resided in rural areas and depended on animal husbandry and farming (Huberman et al., 2017). The staggering expansion of telegraph and rail lines, gas, sewage systems, and water supply led to a population boom in concentrated regions, resulting in urbanization. The simultaneous introduction of novel technological systems like electrification led to massive migrations to industrialized areas/ towns. For instance, about 10% of Britons resided in London at the end of the 19th Century, while regions like Manchester also experienced vast population influxes.
The surge in urbanization resulted in the exploitation of the working class. As industrialization picked pace, there were no laws regulating worker conditions, and power belonged to a few wealthy individuals as the factory working class suffered. Many slums emerged in the urban areas, and child labor became commonplace. During the population boom in urban regions, contagious diseases became more prevalent. Thousands of people died of ailments like cholera and tuberculosis in centers like London (Kennedy, 2020). At the same time, the industrial revolution led to an unprecedented increase in consumerism and materialism, especially with the technological advancements that produced new goods and services for the masses.
The most pronounced impacts of the industrial revolution and urbanization were pollution and environmental destruction. New machines needed large amounts of energy to operate them, resulting in the massive burning of fossil fuels which caused air pollution and smog (Eisen, 2018). The release of industrial effluent and untreated human waste into rivers and the clearing of forests to create space for settlers led to unbridled environmental damage. The period also marked the production of chemicals like plastics, dyes, and pharmaceuticals, which impacted human and ecological health.
References
Eisen, J. (2018). Whither Work? The Second Industrial Revolution.Canadian Dimension, 52(2), 13–41.
Huberman, M., Meissner, C. M., & Oosterlinck, K. (2017). Technology and geography in the Second Industrial Revolution: new evidence from the margins of trade.The Journal of Economic History, 77(1).
Kennedy, C. (2020). The energy embodied in the first and second industrial revolutions.Journal of Industrial Ecology, 24(4), 887.