Group Presentation Report
On topic: How and Why Industrialization, Population and Urbanization are related: Social Relations, Social Control and Law?
Student: Yen Hoang
Keuka College

How and Why Industrialization, Population and Urbanization are related: Social Relations, Social Control and Law?
Industrialization, Population Growth and Urbanization are in dynamic relationship with each other that also has been contributing to change various aspects of Social Relations, Social Control and Law. America is taken as the typical example illustrating this topic because this country is one of the pioneers starting up those processes and witnessing their pros and cons in spectacular aspects. First of all, industrialization is the transformation from an agricultural an industrial society, in which the new technology as well as mechanization of industry is dominant. It first took place in Britain from the middle of the 18th to the early 19th century and presented a prototype for industrial revolution spreading throughout Western Europe and North America afterwards. The greatest significance of this process is that it replaced manual labor by machinery as well as mechanical production took the place of manual production. Furthermore, the industrialization was made possible by the great, incredible and numerous inventions, such as steam engine technology, electric power, cotton gin, elevators, telegraph code, telephone, railroads, steel mills, refrigerator, washing machines, skyscrapers, diesel engine, airplanes, the discovery of oil and the production of petrol and so on. The impacts of those inventions cannot be underestimated that made life easier while creating productivity. New technologies, especially creation of assembly line made manufacturing more efficient, tremendous and assisted mass-produced goods soared in quantity and variety with cheaper price. In order to trade in those goods, the widespread communication and transportation network were built up by entrepreneurs that provided a route to the creation of a nationwide market. The U.S government supported and protected those expansions by making grants of land to railroad entrepreneurs and by legislating protective tariffs, a tax on foreign, imported products. Besides, as business prospered, investors and bankers helped business leaders expand their operations by supplying the substantial amount of capital thanks to stocks, bonds or making loans to businesses. Furthermore, the process of industrialization evoked overpowering social developments. A free labor market was fostered by the freeing of the labor from feudal and customary obligations. Then, there was a determining role for a specific social type, the entrepreneur. In terms of workers, because labor law had not been launched, it was common for them to work 12 hours per day, six days a week with an average pay of 20 cents per hour in most dirty and dangerous factories. The hours in a workday were too long as the factories are indoors with closed window to avoid sunlight; thus the workers were not able to realize business working hours. Women were paid almost a quarter of what men made and child labor made up 20% part of workforce because their small could reach into tiny holes of machines to easily make things requiring small hands or bodies. Additionally, when the economy went down, business owners cut wages, increased work hours and responsibilities, or even laid off workers. Industries and factories sprang up; the process of mechanization allowed unskilled labor to work with thanks to the use of machinery and repetitive work; new business revolved around cities bringing enormous number of job opportunities, people started to move from countryside to cities and caused urbanization. It is the change from a rural to an urban society in which witnesses the gradual augmentation in the proportion of people migrating to the cities to seek jobs in factories as agricultural jobs became less common. The rapid urbanization in the U.S is illustrated by the growth rate of city populations, especially in Boston, Chicago, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, etc. For instances, according to the statistics provided by Linda Alchin, the population of Chicago in 1870 was 298,977; it rose to 1,698,575 in 1900 and in 1920 it reached the number of 2,701,705. Seattle is another typical example which had the population of 1,107 in 1870 and in 1920 it increased nearly 285 times with the number of 315,312. Additionally, in 1840, the U.S had only 131 cities and by 1900 that number had risen to over 1,700. Eventually these activities brought out abundant urbanization issues, such as environmental degradation, typically in the quality of water, air and noise; inefficient transportation system; overcrowding; housing; unemployment; rise in crime due to poverty and lack of control; the sharp contrast between the rich and the poor; etc. For example, cheap accommodation was developed as tall, narrow tenement buildings in dark, crowed, unpleasant and unhealthy living conditions. Pollution and poor sanitation caused fatal epidemics in cities.
Those disadvantages of urbanization and industrialization sparked serious riots and strikes by workers. Not only workers but also the American in general advocated reform of country’s economic, political, and social system during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. By 1917, the reformers had brought tremendous changes in government’s responsibilities to the citizen, reducing poverty, enhancing living conditions of the poor and regulating big business. This era witnessed the establishment of new unions and passed law. For instance, American Federation of Labor was formed in 1886 by skilled labor that bargained with employers ad gained better wages and working condition for workers. Besides, the foundation of National Grange in 1867 and Farmers’ Alliances during the 1870’s and 1880’s assisted force railways to decrease their charges for hauling farm products and helped the farmers in other ways. In addition, reformers won control of state government that allowed citizen to elect people to Congress who favored their views. There were numerous amount of law passed by State government to help the poor. Those laws provided for tenement house inspection, playgrounds and other improvements of life in the slums. They also forced employers to protect workers against fires and dangerous machinery in factories. Public education was also expanded. The innovation in social relation, social control and law assisted limit the negative impacts of industrialization and urbanization in which infrastructure and public facilities were also well invested. Hence, population growth is the consequence of industrialization and urbanization. A labor force eager for economic opportunities migrated to cities. There were also millions of immigrants coming from China, Mexico, Canada, Europe and Scandinavia entered all regions of the States. The highest rate of increase of urban population recorded in the United States occurred between 1840 and 1850; the figure for this decade was 99 percent. (Eric McLamb. 2011). During this same decade urban population, defined according to the standard which counted only towns where 8,000 or more inhabitants resided, increased at three times the national rate. In 1840, 8 percent of the population was urban, but by 1860 this figure was over 16 percent. In addition to the reason coming from immigration, population increased because of the natural growth. Overall, there were more young people living in urban areas; they give birth leading to a higher birth rate and lower death rate thanks to easy access to hospitals and medication care, etc in the urban areas. In general, since the 250 years from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to today, the world human population has increased by six billion people. (Richard Tilly. 2010). Nowadays, industrialization, urbanization and population growth are still the phenomenon of modern society, especially in the developing countries that lead to the exponential requirements for resources, energy, food, housing, land, etc as it used to occur in the previous centuries. Hence, the governments need to make plan carefully to control society to gain the utmost advantages of industrialization, urbanization and population growth.
References
Active US Center A.U.C. History of the United States Industrialization and Reform (1870-1916). Retrieved from http://www.theusaonline.com/history/industrialization.htm
Eric McLamb. (2011). The Ecological Impact of the Industrial Revolution. Retrieved from http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/18/ecological-impact-industrial-revolution/
Linda Alchin. Industrialization in America. Retrieved from http://www.american-historama.org/1866-1881-reconstruction-era/industrialization.htm
Linda Alchin. Urbanization in America. Retrieved from http://www.american-historama.org/1881-1913-maturation-era/urbanization-in-america.htm
Richard Tilly, Münster. (2010). Industrialization as an Historical Process. Retrieved from http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/backgrounds/industrialization