Socio-Economic Consequences of Industrialisation: The industrial revolution which started in Europe in the late 17th century slowly found its way across the globe. The pace may have been varied in different parts of the world, but the end results were quite similar. The following changes were noticeable and had a degree of permanence attached to them:
(a) Economic Consequences:
(i) Production moved out of households to factories.
(ii) Capital acquired a greater role in the production process.
(iii) The occupational structure of the workforce changed from largely agrarian to an increasingly larger industrial workforce.
(iv) People from all strata of society took to industrial activity.
(v) Women moved out of homes in large numbers and entered the workforce.
(vi) Barriers of religion, belief, etc., crumbled as the demand for labour increased.
(vii) Urbanisation took place at an accelerated pace.
(viii) It triggered changes in other spheres like mass transport and communication too, thus radically altering the existing social structure.
(b) Social Consequences: All these changes had a dramatic impact on social relationships and brought about a lasting social change.
(i) Emancipation of women was a logical conclusion of this process. Within the family, the role of women changed with their economic independence.
(ii) Similarly, production relationships changed from one amongst kinsmen to a largely impersonal relationship between the "employer" and the "employee" where skills and not loyalty became the prime criterion for employment.
(iii) Caste structure weakened, at least in urban centres and workers of different castes and religions became increasingly comfortable working with each other. Interestingly, on another plane, in the absence of a close family network, state and caste associations grew and the social change witnessed was the net outcome of these two opposing processes.
(iv) Urbanisation, in its wake, brought about other changes. Relationships became more impersonal as transactions acquired commercial character. The provision of facilities like hospitals, schools, smaller houses meant that the dependence on family decreased. This was also triggered by the revolutionary changes in the mass transport system, which enabled people to move to far-flung places where employment opportunities existed.
(v) Finally, the large influx of wage earners and self-employed people to urban centres gave rise to a large and powerful middle class in society. This class not only impacted the existing social relationships but also influenced political discourse favouring the ideas of meritocracy and egalitarianism.
