The Industrial Revolution and Traditional Management: 1750-1900

It is important that students understand how the Industrial Revolution changed English society, and by extension, the rest of the world. Until the revolution, society was much more agrarian. With the industrial revolution came the prospects of making money, which at the same time agriculture came under stress.

This video from History.com provides a great overview of the age.

Industrial Revolution Video

Cities became a magnet for people fleeing the countryside and seeking employment in the major urban centers.  With the sudden rise in population, crime and disorder became a byproduct of the Industrial Revolution.  Because of the growing intolerance of disorder, cities needed a professional police force.  

Present day policing has as its foundation the ideas of Henry Fielding and Sir Robert Peel of early nineteenth century London. The Industrial Revolution had an enormous impact on rural life in England because urban industries offered the promise of a steady income and stability. From the farms a great influx of people moved to the major urban centers in search of a better life. But instead of fulfilling their dreams, they became part of a nightmare of poverty, unemployment, and crime. This caught the attention of Sir Robert Pell, who was mainly responsible for the legislation passed in Parliament entitled The Metropolitan Police Act. The main duty of this policing organization would be crime prevention and protection of property—not law enforcement.  In fact, early police ran soup kitchens and housed the homeless, located missing children, performed inspections, and more.  Only recently with the movement to "professionalize" police has policing become synonymous with "law enforcement".

For a great summary of the history of police, see Eric H. Monkkonen (1992). History of Urban Police.  Crime and Justice, 15, 547-580.