Scientific and Technological Advancements in Economic Growth and Development
The first Industrial revolution, is believed to have started in Great Britain by 1780s to 1850s. This was due to abundant natural resources, food supply, labor supply from the increased population, Britain’s favorable government, thriving middle class and new inventions (Greenwood, 1997). The industrial revolution was characterized by many consequences including political, economic, and social. In the social perspective, Industrial revolution had two major impacts: improved labor forces and transport-communication technology.
Prior to the industrial revolution, the provision of the labor force in factories and farms, was rather manual which tiresome as people used their own hands instead of the machinery. Immediately after and during Industrial revolution, advances in the provision of labor began in terms of machinery which were being used in factories and farming (Bandelj 2011). Therefore, revolution minimized the time used in production and thus increased the level of production in various sectors. Families were also able to secure jobs in the urban centers due to mass manufacturing of goods. However, the improved labor also came with certain constraints in the society because women began to seek formal employment in the urban centers thereby neglecting their previously perceived duties of tending to family needs including nurturing children (Bandelj, 2011). In turn, increased urbanization set in meaning only old people were left in the villages resulting into the disintegration of the families. Despite the fact that the industrial revolution led to improved labor, it was apparent that unskilled laborers benefited the most because the mechanization led to technological unemployment.
The transportation and communication during preindustrial revolution were characterized by sluggishness, infectivity inefficiency. However, the global Industrial revolution gradually changed the nature of transportation and communication in today’s world. For instance, the invention of railway lines made bulk transportation of goods cheaper and easier (Addabbo, 2010). Road, water, and air transport networks also made a tremendous change in the transportation consequently increasing the inter-global communication and commerce, which ultimately improve the social well being of people through interaction. In addition, the Industrial revolution led to the inventions of the modern methods of communication. (Addabbo, 2010). Today, there is a revolutionary change in the way people relay information; the information communication technology sector uses more efficient and effective means of communication. For instance, computers are used for all forms of communication. Computerization has made the world to be like a global village where people easily interact and socialize through electronic mails, and fax among others forms of communication.
The improvement in ICT sector has also led to improved education systems through teaching, sharing of information, availability, and flexibility of learning materials. However, despite numerous benefits of ICT in the education sector, there are also some disadvantages, such as the computers are not easily affordable and therefore not commonly available in remote areas (Greenwood, 1997). This leads to inequality of advancement of the educational sector and learners therefore fail to realize their full potentials.
Industrial revolution also led to ideological differences in the ownership of resources. During the industrial revolution, people began investing thereby acquiring more wealth day-by-day. This prompted discussions on financial freedom of individuals since some members of the society were being disadvantaged at the expense of the few rich individuals (Addabbo, 2010). Therefore, the ideology of capitalism set in allowing any individual to accumulate as much wealth based on his ability thus creating inequality in the society. Therefore, capitalism encouraged strife competition between individuals since each wanted to stand above the other. “Capitalism, founded by Adams Smith is based on economic and political arena where people possessed resources and industry ” (Addabbo 2010).
Capitalism works best in a system of checks and balances brought by the competition. Individuals own capital and are able to provide goods and services within their communities. Therefore, it is believed that through competition in industrial revolution led capitalism (Kristal, 2013). Capitalists pay good remuneration to their workers to keep them from being taken away by other competitors. There are four different types of capitalism namely free-market, corporate, social-democratic and state-led capitalism. In free market capitalism, all aspects of the society are governed by the market without any intervention of the government. The government only protects lives and property of the citizens. In corporate, large bureaucratic control the economy, it allows for efficiency, long-term planning though less innovations (McMillan, 2012). They normally have influence on the government of the day. Social democrat economy tries to balance the benefits of a free-market system with strong social supportive structure. The government is greatly involved in regulation of the competition (McMillan, 2012). On the other hand, state-lead capitalism is owned by the government and run for profit, which in turn used to describe the economy.
Capitalism and communism are two political theories having completely opposite ideologies in the functionality. For example, capitalism refers to a system of governance based on socio-economic and political state in which property including assets are owned and controlled by individuals (Bandelj, 2011). Communism, founded by Karl Marx on the other hand is a community in which exploitation, social class stratification and discrimination is abolished. The wealth, resources are equitably shared within the community. Therefore, communism disputes private ownership of property or any other resource. The state or a community has the mandate of ownership of all goods and services with the ultimate objective of promoting collective ownership (Bandelj, 2011).
In addition, capitalist gives more emphasis and attention to self-aspirations thereby leading to perpetual egocentrism and selfishness. It is argued that capitalist countries encourage hard work within the society (Mann, 2013). Communist countries contribute in the sluggish economic development since some people may intentionally decide to be less productive in the society at the expense of the hard working ones. Communism came in 1850s in the form of a socialism manner before fully manifesting itself (Mann, 2013). It had a far-reaching and unprecedented revolution aimed at uprooting all sorts of oppressions and exploitations of capitalism. The less developed countries had a different ideology thus wanted change based on the state of inequality and oppression.
During industrialization, technological advancements came with both positive and negative social impacts in the society. Skilled workers lost their jobs due to computerization of most industrial activities. This left only the unskilled laborers who mainly constituted women and children. The capitalists formed cartels and began the oppression of workers thereby resulting to a revolutionary force that gave birth to communism. It was mainly due to downsizing of the work force labor, biased technological change and increased management anti-unions.
Therefore, communism, as opposed to ideology that it encourages laziness, it actually promotes fairness, protection, unity, diversity, far-reaching debate and common objective of doing any activity thus enhancing development.
References
Addabbo, T. (2010). Gender inequalities, households and the production of well-being in modern Europe. Farnham: Ashgate Pub.
Bandelj, N. (2011). From communists to foreign capitalists: The social foundations of foreign direct investment in postsocialist Europe. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Greenwood, J. (1997). The third industrial revolution: technology, productivity, and income inequality. Washington, DC: AEI Press.
Kristal, T. ( 2013). Slicing the Pie: State policy, class organization, class integration, and labor’s share of Israeli national income. Social Problems, 60, 100–127.
Mann, M. (2013). The sources of social power. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McMillan, C. (2012). Žižek and Communist Strategy: On the disavowed foundations of global capitalism. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
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