The economy of the 19th century.

Essay by hershey4576 November 2003

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There were many important events that happened in the 19th century that impacted the worlds economy. The most important events were the abolition of slavery, the industrial revolution, and the new forms of governments and ideas for governing introduced.

Slavery came about in ancient times. It was practiced by many of the greatest empires in history. The Greeks, Romans, and British empires all practiced slavery. It was a way for the rich to get free labor. In the 19th century, abolitionists started having conventions and speaking out against slavery and the slave trade. Before long the British empire outlawed slavery in Great Britain and their colonies. The rest of the world soon followed their lead. This was a major change in the world. Now all employers had to pay their workers. And for the first time, everyone in the world was equal by law. Although the laws said everyone was equal, it took many countries time to reform laws to make people equal in real life and not just the eye of the law.

The industrial revolution was one of the most important things to happen in the 19th century for one simple reason, it brought so many new inventions. New ideas were generated. Major companies began to form behind the idea the one could mass produce a product by machine cheaper and faster than if it was done by a skilled craftsman. It created industrial cities and for a while gave the management the upper hand. The management could keep unsafe, unsanitary factory conditions until governments started making laws to clean up factories and make them safe to work at.

There were many new ideas generated in the 19th century. All throughout the century, democracies were sprouting up in the America's and other areas that revolted against imperial powers...