Urbanization In The 19th Century

As the 19th century drew to a close, numerous English cities, one being London, England, transformed from being a rural society to an urban society. The rapid development of cities served as both a rising and uniting factor in advanced economic, political and social life. In modern times, urbanization is rapidly growing, thus creating megacities like Wuhan, China with a population of nine million inhabitants. The shift from agrarian based societies to metropolitan based societies has and is still improving the lives of people all around the world.
When the Industrial Revolution was just starting, many people left their rural homes because they wanted to have a higher standard of living and certainly, a job. The city had a lot of opportunities …show more content…
New ways of movement, some of which were, steamboats, steamships, steam locomotive and railroads were all created to make life more accessible. Additionally, “around 1820, Scottish engineer John McAdam developed a new process for road construction. His technique, which became known as macadam, resulted in roads that were smoother, more durable and less muddy” (“History”). This new process granted a faster and improved rate of transportation. Before all these new innovations, “raw materials and finished goods were hauled and distributed via horse-drawn wagons, and by boats along canals and rivers” (“History”). This was originally very inefficient, but because of all these new inventions, products and materials were shipped smoothly throughout the world. All these advanced devices allowed London to be “become a centre and pivotal point of international trade and industry” (Grebe). In Wuhan, shipment and transportation is also in it’s state of the art. For instance, “the Guangzhou-Wuhan High Speed train is one of the fastest in the world and can reach a speed of 394 km/h (Wu). With the world progressing and become more urbanized, more powerful transit can be achieved because of the resources and materials the world has today. Wuhan has all sorts of ways of getting in and out and that allows many opportunities convenience. since “it is in the Chinese heartland – equidistant from Shanghai, the …show more content…
Mass production was achieved since the new devices granted the power to replace hand held tools with new technology. Before working in factories, textiles were originally made at home. Suddenly, machines were replacing hand held tools. Some machines were the “Spinning Jenny (1764), Water Frame (1769) and Spinning Mule (1779)” (“BCC”). power to produce products and materials in a profitable and economical way. As a result, “Output of textiles increased 15-fold in the century 1815‒1914” (“BCC”). Steel and iron are both essential resources to making everything from tools to buildings. “In the 1850s, British engineer Henry Bessemer (1813-1898) developed the first inexpensive process for mass-producing steel.” (“BCC”) Therefore, “production of 'pig' iron increased 30-fold in the century 1815‒1914” (“BCC”). When new resources arise, the ability to produce products and materials are extremely increased. Machinery gets work done at a higher profitable and adequate rate. Machinery has affected the population in a positive manner. People don’t have to work as hard as before and productivity surges. Throughout the Industrial Revolution, medicine and cures were rare because it was just about working in the factories and the technology wasn’t as sufficient like in present day Wuhan. Medical advances are being created nowadays in Wuhan. On September 7, 2015, researchers conducted the “country’s first gas