[HUM-211, page-2, S202108097]

[HUM-211]

Industrious Revolution in Socio-economic Dimensions

Md. Sadman Sakib, S202108097, Dept. of IPE
2108097@ipe.buet.ac.bd

Abstract: "The Industrious Revolution, the proponent of the well-known industrial revolution, was a process of household-based
resource allocation that increased both the supply of marketed commodities and labor and the demand for market-supplied goods."

This so-called revolution spanned almost two centuries (1600–1800). It is characterized by increased demand for commodities, a

longer working year, and increased productivity in an era of stagnant economic growth. It brought forth changes in family dynamics,

the division of labor, and the role of capital, along with other socio-economic changes.

Background: In early modern Europe, people lived in feudal societies where households had
strictly defined social roles. Manufacturing and production were mainly guild-based. The

economy was stagnant, and wages were not increasing. On the contrary, wages were decreasing

in some cases. Wage laborers started working more hours to increase their purchasing power. As

people had less money in hand, it was expected that they would consume less. But colonization

and seafaring had brought consumer goods to Europe from all across the world. People’s Image-1: life and family during the
Industrious Revolution
demand for those was rising, and to satisfy the demands, they started working even longer

hours. Women and children, for the first time in history, stepped outside to supplement their

family’s ever-growing demands. To streamline production and supply according to those demands, mass production was introduced

at a small scale, albeit with the same age-old technologies. Division of labor was introduced, where specific tasks would be done by

specific people even if the tasks combined to create a single product. This emphasis on efficiency and production affected other

aspects of social life. Family values started to change. Women would get the chance to work outside. Institutions would emerge to

regulate the newest aspects of production. Incentives were created to innovate and create. These changes brought about a gradual

social change that is referred to here as the "Industrious Revolution."

Industrious Revolution – Socio-economic Dimensions: The Industrious Revolution changed traditional society to
prepare it for the next big phase, the Industrial Revolution. Women entered the workforce for the first time, which generated more

wage labor to work with. As people started working more hours, their savings started growing. Hence, more capital was being

generated. People started consuming goods that were not absolutely necessary for their basic sustenance. Working hours grew longer

before being cut back during the industrial revolution. Old social hierarchies started disappearing. As the supply didn’t grow as fast

as the demand at first, people started looking for alternate ways to make up for that. That led to new innovations. Eventually, supply

increased due to some changes brought about by the revolution. While people had plenty of leisure time before, this new economic

system made them trade in their old, lazy, and unhappy ways for a careful and respectable one. This inevitably resulted in greater

individual consciousness. Producers found a new way to incentivize workers through money and commodities instead of the old
method of instilling fear. These created new ethical viewpoints that are upheld in Europe even today. The division of labor made

manufacturing more efficient. The middle class started rising. However, coercion and exploitation rose too. Child labor and slave

labor became common phenomena. Although the exploitation of the working class by the social elites was always a norm in society,

it took on a new form in this era. Family and moral values started changing , making way for crimes and violence. The traditional
European marriage system started disintegrating. However, most changes introduced in this era sustained to give birth to the

industrial revolution. The increase in supply and demand compelled the new capitalists towards automation, mass production and
industrialization. And to sustain the changes, new institutions and ideas were created. Hence came the modern European values like

democracy, capitalism, nuclear family and free market. The idea of communism and human rights also took birth in this period. This

is how the industrious revolution paved the way for all future socio-economic changes.
Conclusion: The Industrious Revolution was a period of time when there was a paradigm shift in the socioeconomic dimensions.
Old and obsolete ideas disintegrated to make way for new ones. Although it had its fair share of disadvantages, the industrious

revolution was what triggered the industrial revolution and, in turn, created the society we live in today.

References:
1. De Vries, Jan (1994). “The Industrial Revolution and the Industrious Revolution”. Journal of Economic History.

2. De Vries, Jan (2008). The Industrious Revolution: Consumer Behavior and the Household Economy, 1650 to the Present.

New York: Cambridge University Press.

3. Rosenband, L. (2016). “The Industrious Revolution: A Concept Too Many?” International Labor and Working-Class

History.

4. Murayama, S.; Nakamura, H. (2021). “Industrious Revolution” Revisited: A Variety of Diligence Derived from a Long-

Term Local History of Kuta in Kyô-Otagi, a Former County in Japan. Histories.