Question

A Farewell to Alms argues that the Industrial Revolution was the product of thousands of years of human biological and social evolution under the pressure of the Malthusian regime in settled agrarian society. Explain and evaluate this argument.

Answer 1

A Farewell to Alms is a book which shows how the industrial revolution has created a gap between the rich and the poor countries. Prior to the industrial revolution, with the invention of a new technology and the increased production, will be used by the higher population. According to Malthusian, there exists an agrarian economy, and the more the population, the agrarian sector will not be able to cope with the mouths of the population growth. Earlier diseases and illnesses struck the societies which used to mop off half the population. Thus the poorer people not having he money to get a treatment were the first affected and died due to these diseases. Hence, the richer people took their position. The middle class evolved as a result of their biological and societal values. In this way with the evolution of the middle class people Britain broke the Malthusian trap and attended productivity.