Adam Smith’s documentary research in the historical context
In this work we investigated the historical context of the time of Adam Smith, which shaped their thought that helped the creation of their most important work, the wealth of nations, which is full of contributions to the economy that are still in forceand that were the basis of other constraints. Let’s start knowing Adam Smith who was an 18th -century Scottish economist and philosopher. He was born in Kirkcaldy (Scotland) on June 5, 1723. It is one of the main authors of what is called classical economy. Because his family was quite accommodated, he was able to access the University of Glasgow in 1737. There he received the influence of Francis Hutcheson, a renowned professor of moral philosophy. In 1740 he obtained a scholarship to study at Balliol College. His time at both universities also had a great influence on his work as an economist.
It is in the era of Adam Smith that the industrial revolution finds its entry into the world;We can define it as the fundamental change that occurs in a society when its economy ceases to be based on agriculture and crafts to depend on the industry;This was born in Britain (England) between 1760 to 1840, thanks to the existence of a liberal and non -absolutist monarchy, which managed to avoid the panorama of revolutions that were extending in other countries. England was free of wars, since although it was involved in some, they did not develop in their territory. To this was joined a stable currency and a well -organized banking system and not only there, but also extended to the rest of Europe and even throughout the world being this at different times, all depending on the faculty of change of each country. Before the revolution, which changed the way of working and societies in the world, the economy was based on the agrarian and artisanal world;Three quarters of the population subsist with agricultural work. It was mainly based on self-consumption and not on the commercialization of the products obtained, since productivity was also very low. The cities were few, small and poorly developed.
There were technological, socioeconomic and cultural changes. Technological ones were from the use of new materials such as steel to energy sources such as coal and motor machines such as the steam engine, considered the initial engine of the industrial revolution. Hilar and knit machines appeared, which managed to rapid rapidly the production with little personal. Techniques for the development of work and the specialization of labor arose. Transportation developed both by trains and ships, which together with other inventions will grow the role of industry and commerce.
Cultural changes were reflected in an impressive increase in knowledge in all branches, both scientific and technical and health. The most notable social changes derived from the growth of cities and the consequent exit of people from rural areas. At the same time there is a strong demographic increase, as a consequence of the high birth rate and the decrease in mortality (thanks to health advances, such as vaccines, and a better food from the population).
At the same time a bourgeois class is developed, the “escape” the rural people to the cities (the agricultural revolution decreased the needs of labor in the field) results in the appearance of a new working class that groups itIn suburbs near the factories, from the barracks in which the workers live. The living conditions of these employees are painful, both in the factories where they work and in the suburbs in which they live. In the factories they will find moisture, little ventilation, no job security and days that exceed twelve hours a day, seven days a week. In superpoblated and dirty suburbs they are victims of easy propagation epidemics. The number of people affected by these conditions led them to organize for the defense of their interests and the workers’ movements appear on the life they carried.
Along with the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution Oscrurria between 1789 to 1799 that meant the demolition of the old regime dominated by the absolute monarchy and the feudal aristocracy of the Middle Ages and the implementation of liberalism dominated by the bourgeoisie. In 1789, France was in a deep economic and social crisis being the causes: that since 1760 there were bad harvests that caused the rise in the price of food and popular discontent, mostly workers and capitalists, the bourgeoisiePolitical marginalization because only the privileged could hold positions and enjoy social recognition since France was governed by the absolute monarchy, in them there was all the power of the State and only they were the ones who made decisions, the population was oppressed, the kingIt was the one who decided everything, what books they read, what newspapers existed, taxes, among other things and all this without consulting anyone only he made the decisions. Which led to the population to reveal against the State. In addition, the monarchy was mired in a deep financial crisis, caused by the high expenses of the State and the Court and something very important was the movement of illustration that went against the absolute power and the participation of the clergy in state issues.
The uprisings by the population, another cause of the French revolution, began when King Louis XVI summoned the nobles, the clergy and the representatives of the people to an assembly in which it was revealed that the nation was in economically red numbers. This discovery added to the accumulated discontent of members of various social classes, caused a series of revolts that ended with the overthrow of the king and the establishment of the Republic.
As consequences we have to feudalism, servitude, debt prison and the privileges of the clergy and the nobility come to an end, the declaration of the rights of man that will serve as the basis for other manifestos of similar characteristics, political instability afterThe revolution led to the coup d’etat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799, the metric system was also established, which was later adopted by other European countries and the French revolution demonstrated the possibility of the end of absolute monarchies.
Now let’s focus on a very important cause for the beginning of the French Revolution and influenced Adam Smith. As we know the Enlightenment, also known as "Century of Lights" was an intellectual movement (cultural, social, philosophical and political), emerged in France in the seventeenth century. The main characteristic of this current of thought was to defend the use of reason on that of faith to understand and solve the problems of society.
The enlightened philosophers sought scientific truth from the use of reason in an environment of autonomy and freedom of individual reason with the purpose of raising the cultural level of society. The illustration had the following characteristics: study of nature through reason, observation and laws that govern it, trust in human reason to achieve progress, equality of all men because they come from the same nature, freedom for practicespolitical, religious, economic and intellectual, secular moral because men are governed by the use of reason that requires respect for the rights of others.
As a social and cultural movement, he focused on politics to seek: equality before the law so that everyone had the same obligations, the freedom to move from one place to another without restrictions and to disseminate different ideas. Similarly, political, economic, intellectual and religious freedom was sought. The enlightened came to consider that nature created man to be happy. For them, happiness should be based on private property, freedom and political and legal equality.
Illuminism was taken to almost all of Europe, Scotland was one of those places, the Scotists were influenced by the Rational French of their time, which they knew how to combine with the English empirical tradition (Adam Smith is perhaps the best sample of this intelctual fissionWith his great works), creating an original and different thought that was characterized by the importance given to reason and the rejection of the authority of certain thinkers, as well as for his optimism regarding the ability of man to improve society and nature.
In conclusion, it is very important to carry out an investigation about social, political, cultural, etc. problems, which occurs at a time, more specifically the time of Adam Smith since we can know why of the things they containedHis works, what were his greatest influences. We can note that the French Revolution was a very important wasting for European society since it was the beginning of a change in the social structure of different parts of the country and coupled with this we have that the industrial revolution also had a lot to do in the lift ofThe residents of France since people start having more problems and that is when they begin to realize the problems that their country suffers from the malfunction of the government and the wealthy people (it is based on the change of other nations in terms ofeconomy, social structure and the form of government).
Bibliography
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