Publication Date

2022

Instructor

Aaron Richardson, MLIS, MA

Abstract

In 1760, Great Britain, among other surrounding countries, transitioned to a new manufacturing process known as the Industrial Revolution. As defined by Oxford Reference, the Industrial Revolution was the “rapid development of industry that occurred in Britain in the late 18th and 19th centuries, brought about by the introduction of machinery. It was characterized by using steam power, the growth of factories, and the mass production of manufactured goods” (Oxford Reference).1 The Industrial Revolution impacted the world by transforming businesses, the economy, and society. Prior, most European countries had economies that were strictly dominated by farming and artisan crafts. In further years, following the late 19th century into the early 20th century, the Second Industrial Revolution transpired. It was a phase of rapid scientific discovery and mass production. In the late 1900s, the Third Industrial Revolution struck and was greatly known for transforming automation and digitization through electronics and computers. The invention of the internet was also introduced. However, at the start of WWI in 1914, the persistent rise of the industrial revolution came to an end, dismantling the extensive technological, socioeconomic, and geopolitical changes around the world.

In the early 19th century, during the start of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester—located in North West United Kingdom2—had an astounding growth in their cotton industry–due to the decline of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and other older textile centers–which drove the town’s expansion, putting it at “the heart of a global network of manufacturing and trade” (Science Industry Museum).3 Textiles were the leading cause of the emerging industrial city of Manchester, producing goods of all categories. This brought in lots of young men and women from the countryside in hopes to find work in the new factories and mills. At the start of the 18th century, there was a population of fewer than 10,000. Due to the rise in industrial and economic changes, the population grew dramatically, recording around 700,000 people in Manchester. It became known as the “Second City” in Britain.

Second cities are a place of location that have persistent, ongoing global interaction across several social domains. As Jerome Hodos describes in Second City, their role of global prominence includes “manufacturing and the economy in general, international, migration, cultural innovation, and production, but not international finance…engage in repeated efforts to build transportation infrastructure to enhance their global connections, and…gradually elaborate a specifically second city urban identity through giant cultural planning projects” (Second Cities).4 In comparison, global cities are the center of new ideas and innovations in business, economics, culture, and politics–in other words, they focus on corporate headquarters, producer services, or global finance as the key activity. They also obtain hierarchical power– “the distribution of power across cities if fundamentally unequal,” exercising dominance over activities in other cities (Second Cities).5 In short, a second city is the broad space between a global city and a marginalized city. Manchester’s rise implicated the home of the Industrial Revolution and, as a result, became heavily populated with factories and workers who dominated the economies of surrounding mill towns.

Over time, Manchester developed large firms and overall concentration in more advanced service industries within healthcare and overall higher education. However, Manchester struggled to maintain the position of a second city due to major challenges. With such a drastic increase in population, Manchester became very dirty, noisy, over-crowded, and started producing social stratifications. Working conditions were filthy and dangerous. There were no labor laws, meaning men, women, and children could work extensive hours with little to no regulation for safety, health, or overall well-being. Once efforts to maximize profits grew faster than the labor union movements, the relations between factory owners and their workers began to decline. With such a high increase in population and motivation to work at factories, housing opportunities could not keep up with the intensity of the consistent movement coming into the city.

Health and hygiene became a great issue as mills and factories ran on coal, creating black clouds that covered the city. Streets were covered in horse fecal matter, supplies became scarcer, food was minimal and more commonly received from soup kitchens, the water supply was always insufficient so citizens would collect rainwater and use that for cooking and cleaning (Industrial Manchester).6 Then, in the mid-20th century around the period of WW2, Manchester saw a decline in their industrial importance, resulting in a depression in social and economic conditions. The greatest impact from WWII on Manchester was the Manchester Blitz, resulting in an estimated 684 deaths and more than 2,000 injured. This mass destruction of Manchester and its surrounding areas in Northwest England introduced a turn in industrialism and modernization. With new manufacturing in a transforming city, the future of Manchester has opened to the creation of infrastructure and entertainment.

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