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Proto-Industrialization And Proto-Industrialization

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NK TSHEBI 213509655 ECHS 209 TUT 1 According to Ogilvie (1993), proto-industrialisation refers to the process that took place in Europe during the 16th and 19th century, this process involved domestic industries which produced goods for international markets. The local producers for the proto-industries included peasants which worked on farmers and still managed to do manufacturing. Pastoral Farming was labour intensive and as such they could dedicate some of their time to manufacturing, corn farmers spent their time on manufacturing during the slack periods. Proto-industrialisation often took place in areas with unproductive soils or places which had few residents or small farming land, …show more content…

Proto-industrialisation was considered as the major reason for the transition to a capitalist system and industrialisation (Ogilvie, 1993). Proto-industrialisation created conditions that allowed the establishment of industries; the process paved a way for industrialisation. According to Franklin Mendels (inventor of the proto-industrialisation term, 1972), the sustained growth in the domestic industry resulted to various economic changes which were important for industrialisation to take place. These changes included agriculture being commercialised, capital accumulation, increase in entrepreneurship, establishment of industrial labour force and access to international markets (Ogilvie, 1993). Proto-industrialisation led to various market networks being strengthened and the workers got paid cash for the products and this introduced them to a wage and cash based production, this also contributed to preparing Europe for …show more content…

Proto-industrial workers grew insufficient food to even cover their own basic food needs and this was due to farms being too small in size or the soils were unfertile. Farming productivity also decreased because the peasant-manufacturers ended up neglecting their farms since manufacturing was expanding. The peasants who neglected farming ended up depending on the wages paid by the merchants. Rural manufacturing made minimal demands for fixed capital since no special industry premises were needed and the machinery used was rather not expensive, poor farmers could also own these machine since they were affordable (Sewing

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