Nicole

Spiegelberg
E-08A
Individuals and Societies

The Industrial Revolution vs The French Revolution

Comparing and Contrasting
Our Lives begin and end the day we become silent about the things that matter Martin Luther King JR. With this quote, he is trying to tell us that revolutions are started
by people speaking their mind, and if we dont, the world will stop developing. This is
debatable; do revolutions help our world develop?
In this essay, I will be comparing two revolutions, the Industrial and the French. This
will help me understand if and how revolutions improve the quality of life, or in some
cases make lives worse. I will be talking about the similarities and differences of five
key points for these two Revolutions (economic, social, population, living conditions,
and short and long term impacts).
The French revolution changed the way France was ruled and how the society was
organized. It took place in the late 18th Century (1789 1799). These ten years were
known as the most violent and unsettling times in nations history. It was a period of
political disruption, in which the French people rebelled against their old system of
government. France had a monarchy in which the king held all the power. They also
had a strict social order called the three-estates.
The Industrial Revolution resulted in the most extreme, extensive changes in history.
It too place from the 18th to the 19th Century, and back then most people lived in the
countryside. But over a span of a few years urbanization and industrialization
increased rapidly and many people moved from the countryside to cities and towns.
Before the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing was often done in peoples homes,
using hand tools or basic machines. Scientific advancements, growth of technology,
improvements in agriculture and production, and an overall economic expansion were
all due to the Industrial Revolution.
The social status has changed majorly during the French revolution.
Before the French revolution, France was controlled by a system known as the three
Estates, or feudalism. The 1st Estate was the clergy and they made up 1% of the
population. The 2nd Estate made up 2% of Frances population and included the
nobility. The 3rd and Largest estate made up 97% of Frances Population. These were
the merchants, peasants and servants. The French Revolution demolished this system,
as the people protested, because they thought this was an unfair ruling system.
Before the Industrial Revolution, people were born into their positions and were not
able to move up or down this status. During the Revolution, however, they were then
able to work their way up or down with skills and opportunities.

pg. 1

Nicole Spiegelberg
E-08A
Individuals and Societies

The Similarities between these two revolutions were that in both revolutions the social
ranking was changed for the better. This made it fairer and easier for the poor. On the
other hand, the revolution differs, because the French revolution helped get rid of this
feudal system completely, whilst the industrial revolution still had a social ranking
system.
During the Industrial Revolution, the Living conditions were very poor. The major
increase in factories and jobs caused many people to move to the cities where these
jobs were available. The cities became overcrowded and the living conditions were
poor. Many people lived together with 5-9 others in a room similar to the size of an
apartment. The overcrowded cities caused diseases to spread quickly.

During the French Revolution, when the feudal system was demolished, the people
didnt have to listen to the land lord as much anymore. This meant that they could stay
in the countryside and buy their own small piece of land. However, they often had to
share this with large groups of people. The quality of the living standards was poor.
Furthermore, some people still hadnt escaped the rule of the seigniors.
In both revolutions, the living conditions were quite poor and often had to share their
houses with other people. This resulted in overcrowding of living areas. The
differences between these two revolutions were, that in Britain, people lived in dirty,
polluted cities, whilst in the French revolution the majority of the people lived in the
fresh countryside.
The Economy during the Industrial Revolution changed when existing producers were
not able to keep up with the rising demand of goods. Large factories were built in
cities, and farmers who had been working on the land before, moved to cities to work
in these factories. The production of goods was increased and this caused the people
to earn more money to support their familys needs. Since the goods could produce
easier, they could produce larger amounts for less money. The lower class did not
receive that much pay, but since the economy was stable, they were still able to
support their families
During the French Revolution, the economy was unstable. It was never sure if the poor
would receive any wages, and as a result they often had to cut down on their
consumptions and lived a poorer lifestyle. Part of the reason for this, was that the king
had lost a lot of money, so the people, especially of the third estate, had to pay higher
taxes to him, as well as the members of the first and second estate.
The similarities between these two revolutions, was that in both the poorer people did
not receive much money. Though in France this was, by far, more severe. On the other
hand, during the industrial revolution the economy was stable, unlike the French

pg. 2

Nicole Spiegelberg
E-08A
Individuals and Societies

revolution, where the economy was unstable. As well as, the price of goods in Britain
decreased, whilst in France it increased.
Both Revolutions had great achievements that have helped us today. During the
Industrial Revolution people developed systems that we still use, or that have
influenced our systems today and have impacted our lives greatly. For example; the
steam engine, paving of roads, modern canals, steamboats and the aeroplane. A large
area that was effected during the industrial revolution was industry and
manufacturing. These improvements have led to easier and cheaper development of
goods.
The French revolution created new ideas and inventions, that helped develop our
knowledge. These included: a public-school system: This helped provide education to
everyone, which led to a more knowledgeable generation. Paper machine: This helped
increase the popularity of writing around the world. And Canned food: This helped
preserve food longer.
The similarities of these Revolutions are, that they both helped develop a better
understanding, which led to a more sophisticated world. However, the differences are
that the Industrial revolution developed more technical innovations, whilst the French
revolution helped develop a better understanding of the World.
The population during the Industrial revolution increased immensely. This was
because there were more job opportunities available, causing people to move into the
cities. There was also a great advancement in health, enabling more birth and higher
life chances. This created a population increase of about 57%.
During the French Revolution, the population grew to around 27 million people. The
main reason for this population growth was the fact that peasants started getting
more rights, and that there was an increased availability of food.
The similarities of both revolutions were, a huge growth in population growth.
However, the causes for these were different, as population growth in Britain was
caused by extended knowledge and medicine. While in France population due to
nutrition.
All in all, I believe that Revolutions improve quality of life. This is because, even though
the short-term effects may be negative, the long-term effects usually always reach the
main goal, in making a better lifestyle for the people and creating a new organisational
structure. From this essay, I have learnt how different, yet similar two revolutions can
be, but that they can still improve our live in their own way.

pg. 3