Social Progress

There has been much debate on whether or not industrialization aided the progress of social progress. Many feel that the industrialization of towns was the perfect way to get the social progress wave started. Others felt that industrialization did more harm than good. By taking a look at the views of Adam Smith, Hammond, and Frederic Engels, we will see exactly what makes people take these opposing views.
According to Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations, industrialization of the economy seemed to represent social progress in 19th century Britain. He feels that if industrialization didn’t come along, society would be stuck in a rut and wouldn’t be able to advance. Simple processes would take a long time to do. He gives the example of making a pin. A man who was not educated in the business would only be able to make one pin in a day, whereas if the work was divided into a number of branches (preferably particular trades) they could make about forty-eight thousand pins in a day. ...