Basic characteristics The process of capitalist industrialization is spontaneously realized in the process of capitalists chasing profits. Capitalist industrialization generally begins with the development of light industry. Because the capital turnover of light industry is faster, it can get more profits with less investment. After the development of light industry, it has accumulated a lot of funds for capitalism, generated the demand for new production equipment, machinery, power and tools, and promoted the rapid development of heavy industry.
The beginning of capitalist industrialization is the industrial revolution. After the industrial revolution, capitalism has undergone fundamental changes in production technology. The original workshop handicraft industry was replaced by the machine industry, and the social productive forces developed unprecedentedly, so that the capitalist mode of production finally defeated the feudal mode of production.
The process of industrialization in Britain was in the 1930s, when the industrial revolution first broke out in Britain. At that time, all major industrial sectors in Britain had a tendency to transition from handicraft production to machine production. This industrialization process began in the textile industry. In 1733, J. Kay (1704 ~ 1764? ) invented the flying shuttle, which doubled the weaving efficiency and became the founder of mechanical invention. When flying shuttle is used in production, spinning lags behind weaving, resulting in yarn shortage. 1765, J. Hargreaves (? ~ 1778) invented the spinning wheel-"Jenny machine", which greatly increased the cotton yarn output, solved the textile contradiction and made the production leap. 1769, the hydraulic spinning machine came out, and then the first cotton yarn factory was built. Since then, large-scale weaving factories have emerged. At the same time, J. Watt (1736 ~ 18 19) invented the double-acting steam engine, which was used as the power of the machine in the cotton textile mill in 1784. The invention of the steam engine is of great historical significance. Although it does not create large-scale industry, it provides impetus for large-scale industry and promotes the rapid establishment of factory system marked by machine system and wage labor. Driven and stimulated by the cotton textile industry, other light industry sectors have gradually changed from workshop handicraft industry to machine industry. The invention of machinery and its wide application in light industry promoted the technological innovation of heavy industry. At the end of 18, steam pressure blower began to be used in iron smelting industry, which made the metallurgical industry in Britain develop rapidly. /kloc-in the 0/9th century, steam pumps were widely used in mines, and some new technologies appeared and adopted one after another, which made the coal output in Britain rise rapidly. At the same time, various forging equipment and metalworking machine tools were invented one after another, and turntable, milling machine and drilling machine were manufactured one after another, which made the machine manufacturing industry develop amazingly. With the vigorous promotion of metallurgical, coal mining, machinery manufacturing and other industrial departments, the transportation industry has also undergone profound changes. By the thirties and forties of 19, the industrial revolution in Britain was basically completed, which showed that the machine industry was already in a dominant position. Britain's capitalist industrialization was realized through the primitive accumulation of capital and the road of plundering and enslaving its own people and colonial people.
The process of American industrialization Before 1970s, the United States was a colony of the major capitalist countries in Europe, and its economy mainly depended on Britain, with little development of modern industry. After1812 ~1814 years of anglo-American war, it embarked on the road of independent development of capitalist industry. The industrialization of the United States also began with the cotton textile industry. 1790, imitating the British hydraulic spinning machine and establishing the first cotton mill; With the development of cotton textile industry, major industrial sectors such as wool spinning, ironmaking, food processing and wood processing have generally established new factories. By the middle of19th century, the machine industry had developed rapidly. 1828, the United States began to build the first railway. By 1865, the total length of the railway line has reached 35,000 miles. Large-scale railway construction not only promotes the development of heavy industries in the east (such as metallurgy, coal mining and machine building), but also promotes the growth of agricultural production in the west. Before the civil war (186 1 ~ 1865), the United States also basically completed the industrial revolution and established a modern industrial system. In the process of industrialization, the United States has made great use of the technological achievements of British industry and the European capital and production experience brought by foreign immigrants.
The process of industrialization in France is slower than that in Britain and America. French primitive accumulation of capital began in16th century, but the feudal guild system (see Western Europe guild system) and land system have not been broken for a long time. The bourgeois revolution of 1789 ~ 1794 swept away feudal obstacles and promoted the rapid development of capitalist industry. /kloc-At the beginning of the 9th century, under the rule of Bourbon and Orleans, France began the industrial revolution, which started with the adoption of machines in the textile industry and gradually extended to metallurgy, mining and machine manufacturing. France basically completed the industrial revolution in the late 1960s, and the capitalist factory system gained a dominant position. However, due to the advantages of small-scale peasant economy for a long time, the industrialization process is slow, and after the industrial revolution, its industrialization still lags behind Britain and the United States.
Germany's industrialization process and the development of German capitalist industry are about half a century later than that of Britain. Due to the long-term feudal regime and the rule of serfdom (see the reform of serfdom in Prussia), Germany was still an agricultural country until the thirties and forties of 19, with industrial workers accounting for only 2.98% of the total population. 1848 after the bourgeois revolution, the machine industry was gradually established. 187 1 After the establishment of the German Empire, relying on the exploitation of cheap domestic labor, foreign military aggression and war reparations, the rapid development of large industries was realized. After a short period of time, the industrial revolution was basically completed in the late 1970s, and the degree of industrialization reached a level comparable to that of Britain and France.
Japan's industrialization process started at the latest. 1868 Before the Meiji Restoration in Japan, it was still a feudal country dominated by agriculture. 85% of the income of the ruling class came from agriculture, and 15% came from commerce and handicrafts. After Meiji Restoration, Japanese industry developed gradually, but compared with other major capitalist countries in the world, the level of industrialization was very low. 1880 after the introduction of the new textile machine, the textile industry has developed rapidly. At the same time, with the promotion, guidance and support of the state, there has been an entrepreneurial climax. By 1885, the industrial revolution has started rapidly. The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894 (1894) was a turning point in Japan's modern industrial development. Relying on the privilege of setting up factories and enterprises in China and war reparations, its industry, transportation, banking and trade developed rapidly, greatly accelerating the process of industrialization. By the beginning of the 20th century, the main departments of Japanese modern industry had been established.
The realization of capitalist industrialization has made a great leap in social productive forces, and many industrial centers and big cities have appeared in major capitalist countries. The process of capitalist industrialization is not only the change of production technology, but also the change of social and economic system. The realization of capitalist industrialization has established a strong material and technical foundation for the capitalist system. At the same time, capitalists have stepped up their cruel exploitation and plunder of domestic workers and peasants, and capitalist powers have also stepped up their economic exploitation and plunder of economically backward countries, especially colonies and semi-colonies, thus intensifying the development of various contradictions in capitalism.