INDUSTRIAL CITY: HOW IT WAS BORN, STRUCTURE, CONSEQUENCES, PROBLEMS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

An industrial city is one whose main economic activity is centered on industrial production. Its inhabitants are widely linked to the work activities that take place within them. They tend to grow around factories or wherever the various industrial work points are located.

Industrial cities originate from the Industrial Revolution, a time when the economy began to focus on mass production. It is at this time, when the city began to be the point where the factories were built and therefore, the workforce, that is, the workers, began to move to these sources of employment.

Industrial cities arise around the points where industrial processes take place, such as factories. Image by Ralf Vetterle from Pixabay

The broad growth of the population, the union of cultures and the development of urban planning inhabited by workers, were several of the most outstanding aspects that the emergence of industrial cities brought with it.

How are industrial cities born?

The birth of industrial cities dates back to the 18th century with the rise of the capitalist economy and industrialization. Cities became the main places where production processes were carried out. Many of the factories were also established here, being the main sources of employment.

Industrialization is born, to a large extent, by the need of manufacturers to increase the level of production of goods within their factories. Job opportunities prompted many people to move to cities.

This is how the industrial zones were the residence of the working class. This produced an increase in the population and also the development of other activities such as banking, transportation and roads.

Among other aspects, industrial cities meant a source of resources, raw materials and access to services. The new conformation of these brought with it new social structures. The growth of industrial populations was such that, for example, during the 19th century, the population of London went from having 1 million inhabitants to having more than 6 million.

Social structure of industrial cities

At present, industrial societies are characterized by having as their objective the massive production of goods and services. They make use of technology to be able to manage the manufacturing industry that, in general, tends to support large populations, such as cities or entire countries.

The Industrial Revolution generated the emergence of industrial cities and the growth of the population within them.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Mainly, an industrial society has large sectors of manufacturing and infrastructure. However, on multiple occasions, there were industrial activities such as coal mining, which were located in somewhat distant particular places, so many of the industrial owners focused on developing nearby villages for the workers.

At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, which originated in England in the 18th century, social structures began to undergo changes. The new form of the economy and production modified the way in which social classes were divided.

At this time, the social classes characteristic of capitalist economies began to emerge. In this way, the society was composed as follows:

High social class

It was formed, above all, by the owners of factories, industries and any mechanism or place of production. They were the owners of the places where the common people of society worked.

Not necessarily the upper social class should be related to the nobility. In fact, it is during this period that many of the wealthy had nothing to do with noble titles. Its riches emerged from that moment as a product of its industrial properties.

Middle class

It was made up of people who, although they were not rich, had an average level in terms of their power to generate money. Among them are merchants, mid-level bureaucrats, that is, people who work as public servants and workers with more developed skills whose jobs had not been able to be replaced by machinery.

Lower class

Made up of workers. The class with the least purchasing power in society, that is, those who had little money and did not own property. The relationship with their work is vital since it is usually their only way of acquiring income to support their lives.

These divisions, since their inception, have formed the basis of the structure that societies with capitalist economies have today. Economies in which all exchange and production processes are in charge of private organizations and which are not controlled by the State. In addition, they aim to generate money.

Consequences of the industrial city

- Social classes within industrial cities began to be defined through the material goods that a person possessed.

- The population used to be larger than in other sectors, such as in the fields.

- Industries were located within cities, so production processes were carried out within them.

- Development was faster within industrial cities. They had more means of communication, access to services and goods.

- Social classes began to be distributed by zones within the same city.

- The industrial cities were the nucleus of the development of the capitalist economy.

Problems derived from the industrial city

-The sources of pollution are one of the most visible problems within industrial cities. Many of the inhabitants are exposed to toxic agents emanating from the factories and that are dispersed in the environment, such as pollution or chemical substances spilled on the waters.

This factor of pollution is accompanied by an environmental deterioration that can go from affecting local inhabitants to damaging an entire region of the planet.

Many of the societies within an industrial city possess a striking contrast of classes. There is usually a great social difference between the higher classes compared to the lower classes.

The increase in population within industrial cities can lead to a deterioration in the quality of life within them. Excess population can cause congestion in people's daily lives. The inhabitants can be exposed to problems such as crime, high traffic of people, stress and more.

References

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