Industrialization and Urbanization

Industrialization

Industrialization is defined as the period of socio-economic change that involves an extensive re-organization of an economy thereby transforming a human group from an agrarian (agriculture based) society into an industrial one. It is in fact, a part of a modernization process where the change is primarily associated with technological innovations and use of technology in industries for the purpose of increased and effective production.

Industrial revolution and its effects

The first transformation to an industrial economy from an agricultural one, known as theIndustrial Revolution, took place from the mid-18th to early 19th century in certain areas inEuropeand North America; starting in Great Britain, followed by Belgium, Germany, and France.

The "Second Industrial Revolution" is a series of later changes that came about in the mid-19th century after the refinement of the steam engine, the invention of the internal combustion engine, the harnessing of electricity and construction of canals, railways, and electric-power lines. The invention of the assembly line gave this phase a boost.

Industrialization in Asia began in the late 19th century in Japan. By the end of the 20th century, East Asia (most notably; Hong Kong, Taiwan, Republic of Korea and Singapore) had become one of the most recently industrialized regions of the world.

Some of the major effects of the industrial revolution are as follows.

1. Change of source of power i.e. muscle and animal power into steam power which was more economical and effective.
2. Revolution in the form of transport and communication by the invention of steam engines, internal combustion engines, electric motor, the telephone, the wireless telegraph, etc.
3. Increased competition among the manufacturers as the increased use of machines allowed them to produce more which offered many options to the customers.
4. Increased effectiveness in the production resulted in the decreased cost of production per unit and at the same time decreased the requirement of human resources in the direct production process. However, the increased use of machinery resulted in the requirement for the workers to increase their skills and knowledge regarding the machines.
5. Relocation of a large portion of the population from rural areas to urban areas which resulted in the growth of trade and business.
6. Colonization was practiced by the powerful countries such as England, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, etc. which resulted in extraction and exploitation of the natural resources in the colonized countries.
7. Poor working conditions in the factories such as inadequate lighting, tight space, dusty working area, long working hours, etc. which resulted in death and illness of the workers.
8. Poor sanitary conditions in the urban areas.

Urbanization

Urbanization is a gradual global change which results in a population shift from rural to urban areas. It is closely interrelated to industrialization and modernization and can also be defined as the population growth equating to urban migration.

The root cause of urbanization is the tendency of the government and citizens of a nation to reduce the time and expense of commuting and transportation and improve opportunities for jobs, education, housing, and transportation. Urban areas provide better infrastructures such as education, transportation, communication, etc. along with the opportunities of proximity, diversity and marketplace competition which attracts a large number of people in rural areas to improve their living standards. With a promise of economic growth opportunities along with an additional variety of entertainment, urban areas draw a large portion of the rural population annually.

The UN had projected that almost 50% of the global population would be living in the urban areas by 2008 and this figure is likely to increase to 64% (in the developing world) and 86% (in the developed world) by 2050.

Some of the positive and negative effects of urbanization are as follows.

Reduced transportation and communication costs, sharing of natural resources, exchange of ideas etc.

1. Diffusion of urban culture into rural areas.
2. Urban areas provide opportunities which may not be available in rural areas.
3. Eradication and abolishment of social problems, social evils, and taboos.
4. Poor sanitary conditions due to increased level of pollution.
5. Decreased availability of clean drinking water.
6. A Severe shortage of housing which results in overcrowding, reduced privacy, crime, stress and family breakdown.
7. Unemployment and underemployment which results in poverty and poor economic conditions.
8. Higher chances of epidemic diseases due to increased contamination in drinking water and air.
9. Increased probability of fire hazards due to increased use of flammable materials and appliances.
10. Social effects such as poverty, increased alcoholism, gambling, drug addiction, psychological problems, etc.

References

1. Wikipedia. (2016).Industrialization.Retrieved fromhttps://www.wikipedia.org/

Information from the handouts provided by my lecturer Mr. Gopal Joshi Subedi has also been used.