Monique Souma
HIP Progress Task 1
Focus Question:
“The Industrial Revolution was another of those extraordinary jumps forward in the
story of civilization”(Stephan Gardiner)
Assess the extent to which this view reflects the impact of the Industrial Revolution on
the British working class to 1900.
Outline why you have chosen this question
I have chosen this question due to my keen interest in the period of the Industrial
Revolution. I am fascinated by the significant change the Industrial Revolution
encouraged in society (both past and present) and the ramifications of this change.
As I engaged in the process of developing my question, I began furthering my
research into the process of industrialisation to identify particular aspects of the
revolution that were the most appealing to me. My development of interests in areas
such as the social impacts of the Industrial Revolution, led me to choosing the HIP
question I have stated above. This is particularly evident as my interest in the
instigation of the process of industrialisation in Britain encouraged me to develop a
focus question based on the British Industrial Revolution. Also, my interest in the
substantial shifts in social structure generated by the Industrial Revolution (in
particular its formation of a new class in society; the working class), accentuates that I
have chosen the above question as it best encapsulates my main interest areas and
allows me to explore these areas during my engagement in the HIP.
Additionally, the variety of informative sources available about the impact of the
Industrial Revolution on the British working class encouraged me to formulate this
particular question.
What will you be investigating in order to answer this question?
As I have used the key term ‘assess’ in my question, this requires a judgement to be
made about the extent to which Stephan Gardiner’s view, of the Industrial Revolution
as beneficial, reflects the advantages and disadvantages of the Industrial Revolution
for the British working class. To do this I must evaluate and synthesise information
from a range of sources and historical perspectives to investigate the negative and
positive ramifications of the Industrial Revolution. This will require my investigation
into and comparison of aspects such as the poor working conditions suffered by the
working class to aspects such as the increased literacy rate to come as a result of the
growing printing industry.
Monique Souma
Bibliography (so far)
Articles:
 Elliott, Simon. 'Britian's First Industrial Revolution'. History Today 2014: 49-53.
Print.
Books:
 Speed, P. F. Social Problems Of The Industrial Revolution. Oxford: Pergamon
Press, 1975. Print.
 Snooks, G. D. Was The Industrial Revolution Necessary?. London: Routledge,
1994. Print.
 Beard, Charles A. The Industrial Revolution. New York: Greenwood Press, 1969.
Print.
Online:
 Industrial Revolution [Internet]. Available from:
<http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution> [26/2/15].
 Famous people of the Industrial Revolution. [Internet]. Available from:
<http://www.biographyonline.net/people/famous/industrial-revolution.html >
[Date accessed: 26/2/15]
 The Industrial Revolution and the changing face of Britain [Internet]. Available
from:
<https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/publications/online_research_catalogu
es/paper_money/paper_money_of_england__wales/the_industrial_revolution.asp
x > [Date accessed: 28/2/15]
 Other social impacts. [Internet]. Available from: <http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s14_u-424_t-1100_c-4256/other-social-impacts/nsw/history/the-industrialrevolution/the-impact-of-the-industrial-revolution > [Date accessed: 13/3/15]
Secondary Source 1- Book
Speed, P. F. Social Problems Of The Industrial Revolution. Oxford: Pergamon Press,
1975. Print.
The book “Social Problems of the Industrial Revolution” written by P.F. Speed, has
been one secondary source which has assisted me in my research so far. This source
has been extremely useful for me as it directly addresses the topic of my Historical
Investigation by exploring the social implications of the Industrial Revolution in
Britain. It discusses how despite the initial problems the Industrial Revolution created
amongst the working class, the gradual solving of these issues reveals the
achievements of the Industrial Revolution. As the source contains information that is
directly related to my area of interest, it was useful as it guided my construction of the
basis of my argument in my essay. Also, the source was valuable as it presented a
rather neutral, two-sided perspective on the Industrial Revolution that enabled me to
grasp the whole concept of industrialisation, which further assisted with the initial
construction of my essay. However, as the source is rather old (being produced in
1975), I was unsuccessful in finding the author’s background information when
engaging in an online search. Thus to ensure the sources reliability, I investigated the
various primary and secondary sources the author references in the book. In doing
this, I discovered that the sources used by P. F. Speed were reliable, thus his work
Monique Souma
was based on accurate, historical information. For instance, I was able to identify that
one of the sources used by P.F.Speed was the book “An Essay on the Principle of
Population” which was written by a reputable English Cleric and Scholar named
Thomas Robert Malthus. Therefore, the book “Social Problems of the Industrial
Revolution” is reliable as the information synthesised by the author was derived from
reputable sources, and it is useful as it maintained a focus on my area of interest, the
social impacts of the Industrial Revolution.
Secondary Source 2- Book
Snooks, G. D. Was The Industrial Revolution Necessary?. London: Routledge, 1994.
Print.
Another source I am using as part of my research is the book “Was the Industrial
Revolution Necessary?” written by Graeme Snooks. This source has also been
extremely useful through its inclusion of relevant information that links directly back
to my focus topic, the ramifications of the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Although
this book does not always maintain a focus on the social impacts of the Industrial
Revolution on the British working class, it does refer to valuable information such as
why the Industrial Revolution could be considered both an advantage and
disadvantage to the society. However, the expansive subject matter delved in the book
does also increase the sources usefulness as it allows me to explore other aspects of
the revolution such as its effect on other classes in society. This is beneficial as it does
not limit my knowledge about the Industrial Revolution, but rather enables me to
grasp a well-rounded understanding of the effect of the Industrial Revolution, further
assisting with my formulation of an insightful argument in my essay. Additionally,
although the source is written from the one-sided perspective of the author, the
continuous reference to various other perspectives throughout the book is useful as it
provides me with a perceptive understanding as to why the positive impacts of the
revolution commonly outshine the negative impacts. The reliability of the source can
be ensured as the author, Graeme Snooks, was a foundation Coghlan Research
Professor of Economics for twenty-one years before becoming a systems theorist and
stratologist, dedicating years of research into developing a theory to explain complex
living systems. The author’s high-level education in the field of economics and
thorough research into the society increases the reliability of his book as both of these
specialised areas are addressed when investigating the social impacts of the Industrial
Revolution. Thus, this source is extremely useful in providing me with accurate,
reliable information, which assists with my understanding of the Industrial
Revolution.