A look at historical and social causes of the European Industrial Revolution.
This paper explores the major developments that lead to the European Industrial Revolution. The paper traces the major religious, political and economic developments from 1100 A.D. up through the eighteenth century and describes the slow progression of events that finally culminated in the revolution.
“When we look around us and see all the technology and medical advancement, we cannot help but wonder and marvel about how far we have progressed. We cannot imagine our lives without electricity, free speech, and hot and cold running water. How did we get here? But where did it all begin? Nothing, as they say begins in a vacuum. And the events leading up to the Industrial Revolution in Europe are no exception. There really was no turning point but just a slow progression of events one after the other, each influencing the previous and the next after it. A good starting point in tracing these events would be the fall of the Roman Empire and the establishment of the Christian Church. In a span of three hundred years, Christianity became a powerful force in Europe leading to the glory days of the Holy Roman Empire. But around 1100 stress on the Empire started to show. Infighting between the Germanic west and the Byzantine east caused confusion and schism.This coupled with the corruption of church leaders from the popes down to the friars leaving the ignorant–poor and the intelligent–disillusioned.”