Which statement best explains the relationship between the Industrial Revolution and the development of communism?(1 point)
Responses
The Industrial Revolution led to a decrease in workers’ rights and their living conditions.
The Industrial Revolution led to a decrease in workers’ rights and their living conditions.
The Industrial Revolution increased pride in workers’ labor and the goods they produced.
The Industrial Revolution increased pride in workers’ labor and the goods they produced.
The Industrial Revolution was slow to affect society and communists wanted to speed up the process.
The Industrial Revolution was slow to affect society and communists wanted to speed up the process.
The Industrial Revolution led to the adoption of new technologies and machines.
None of the given responses explicitly explain the relationship between the Industrial Revolution and the development of communism. However, from the context provided, it seems the most relevant option (which has been repeated) might be:
"The Industrial Revolution led to a decrease in workers’ rights and their living conditions."
To explain further, the Industrial Revolution dramatically transformed society, economies, and manufacturing processes, bringing about massive changes in working conditions and the social fabric. Many workers found themselves in industrial factories with harsh conditions, long hours, and low pay, leading to widespread social unrest.
In reaction to these conditions, thinkers like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels developed communist theory. In their view, the capitalist modes of production that were a hallmark of the Industrial Revolution inevitably led to exploitation and class struggle. Communism was proposed as a solution to these issues, envisioning a classless society where the means of production would be collectively owned and controlled, and the wealth produced would be distributed according to need rather than market forces.
Thus, the appropriate statement connecting the Industrial Revolution to the development of communism would be that the socioeconomic and labor conditions emerging from the Industrial Revolution catalyzed the development of communist theory as a response to the perceived exploitation of the working class.