HIST4380 The Industrial Revolution and Its Impacts

Course HIST4380, an elective course for both major and non-major students, grants a survey of the origins and transformations of industrial society over the last two centuries or so, a period of time within which industrial nation-states have reached new heights of power and acquired the dominant share of the world’s wealth: a wealth once dominated by Westerners but increasingly challenged in recent years by the rise of, for example, Southeast Asian nations. This comparative studies programme shall allow students to obtain a critical understanding of the nature of industrial society from multiple perspectives through fostering a multidisciplinary approach to industrialization and many of the changes in society it helped to establish. The course will give students the opportunity to critically consider the ideas and the conditions in Europe and elsewhere that produced industrial change, capitalism, and political reform/democracy – processes that the West considered then and still considers today as desirable for itself and other parts of the world.

The curriculum, with its active learning approach, gives particular focus to pre-industrial Europe and its economy, 1800s Britain, urbanisation and its effects upon social classes, public health, housing, and ways of living, i.e. themes considered critical to successful governance today. The course is designed to build transferable skills such as thinking critically, well-constructed writing, and the clear presenting of oral arguments both in individual and group learning scenarios. In so doing students will be expected to engage with a range of academic disciplines such as History (social and economic, cultural and urban), Social Studies, Economics, and Geography, so as to answer questions such as:

• In what ways did industrialization fundamentally change societies?
• What factors accounted for the beginning of the Industrial Revolution?
• How did patterns of urbanization change as a consequence of industrial growth?
• How did social class and political relations shift due to industrial progress?
• How did industrial changes affect the role of women or children in the workplace?
• Were the First and Second Industrial Revolutions the same, or were they different?
• How did rural developments affect the rise of industry, e.g. in Europe’s past?
• What dangers arise from rapid industrial and urban transition? Are these dangers universal? Do they exist in our world?
• How can understanding industrial development in the past give deeper comprehension of the contemporary world?

Course Aims

At the end of the course students should be able to achieve the following objectives:

1. Recognize and explain key events that led to upheavals within the economies and societies of Europe, North America and Southeast Asia, in so doing enhancing existing knowledge of what shaped these continents and so made them what they are today;
2. Grasp the relationship between the evolution of industrialization and the changing nature of societies;
3. Consider broad issues within History in greater depth so as to make connections between industrial growth and different contexts;
4. Demonstrate historical knowledge development via online exercises and class-centred exercises;
5. Exhibit critical thinking and research skills through the writing of a scholarly essay and the compiling of an online portfolio.

Lectures and Student Responsibilities

Students are required to attend all class functions and to arrive prepared for lectures. This includes arriving on time, having paper on which to record notes, listening attentively to the Lecturer, and, where possible, joining in any Lecturer-led discussions. 

The tutorials (4 in total) give students the chance to discuss in some detail the topics introduced in the lectures, and to help them sort out any problems in understanding that they may have. Time is also set aside to consider how industrialization has corresponded with changes in the broader world. Group activities shall be integrated into tutorial classes so that students can ‘do History’ but for tutorials to run effectively all students will be expected to have prepared beforehand, e.g. by reading and by thinking about the class topic in question. Materials to read shall be given by your lecturer each week and by consulting this course book. You also need to be prepared to join in the discussions within the tutorials: active learning is a basic of HIST4380. But do not be afraid to ask questions if you are in doubt: by asking a question you may help others get a better grasp of the topic as well as well as helping yourself!

Core Reference Book

Core reference book Peter N. Stearns, The Industrial Revolution in World History. Copies of this book can be purchased at the CUHK book store

Materials to be used in this course include:

• Aldcroft D.H., and Ville S.P. (eds.), The European Economy, 1750-1914: A Thematic Approach (1994)   UL  HC240.A6657
• Ashworth W., A Short History of the International Economy since 1850 (1975)  UL  HC53.A8 1987
• Braudel, F., Civilisations and Capitalism (1981, 1982 and 1984)  UL  HC51.B67413 1982
• Brown, I., Economic Change in South-East Asia 1830-1980 (1997)   UL  HC441 .B75 1997
• Cambridge Economic History of Europe (1966)   UL  HC240.C312 1966
• Mathias P., and Davis J.A. (ed.), The First Industrial Revolutions (1989)  UL HC240.F46
• Deane P., The First Industrial Revolution (1979)  UL  HC254.5.D3 1979
• Harrison J.F.C., The Birth and Growth of Industrial England 1714-1867 (1973)  UL  DA480.H28
• Malthus T., An Essay on the Principal of Population (1998)  UL  HB851.M3
• Mathias P., The First Industrial Nation (2001)  UL  HC253.M36
• Smith A., Wealth of Nations (1994)  UL  HB161 .S6522 1970
• Teich M., and Porter R. (eds.), Industrial Revolution in National Context. Europe and the USA (1996)  UL  HC53 .I53 1996
• Vente, R.L. and Peter S.J. Chen, Culture and Industrialisation: An Asian Dilemma (1980)  UL  HC412.C84

Many articles from journals such as Economic History Review, American Economic Review, Journal of Economic History, International Review of Social History, Journal of British Studies, History Workshop, Past and Present, Journal of European History, shall also be utilised. Furthermore, reputable online sites and online files will be used as resource materials, including:

• http://www.oup.com/us/pdf/economic.history/industrial.pdf http://www.wiw.org/~dman/H112P21
• http://www.homestead.com/chaffeyaphistory/files/EuroTerms1848_1914.htm
• http://www.victorianweb.org/
• http://www.myvlad.com/history/industrialrevolution.htm.

Sky 100 Fieldtrip

To offer a fresh perspective as to the form and meaning of skyscrapers in Hong Kong, students are invited to participate in a visit to the Sky 100 on November 19 2021.

Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations. Details may be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/.

With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are aware of these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures.

• In the case of group projects, all members of the group should be asked to sign the declaration, each of whom is responsible and liable to disciplinary actions, irrespective of whether he/she has signed the declaration and whether he/she has contributed, directly or indirectly, to the problematic contents.
• For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally text-based and submitted via VeriGuide, the statement, in the form of a receipt, will be issued by the system upon students’ uploading of the soft copy of the assignment.

Assignments without the properly signed declaration will not be graded by teachers.

Only the final version of the assignment should be submitted via VeriGuide.

The submission of a piece of work, or a part of a piece of work, for more than one purpose (e.g. to satisfy the requirements in two different courses) without declaration to this effect shall be regarded as having committed undeclared multiple submissions. It is common and acceptable to reuse a turn of phrase or a sentence or two from one’s own work; but wholesale reuse is problematic. In any case, agreement from the course teacher(s) concerned should be obtained prior to the submission of the piece of work.