Nowadays, many people want to understand better an idea of the sublime power of nature and its transformations in regards to the Industrial Revolution and expected outcomes. It is believed that industrial progress is a definite achievement of people to improve the quality of their lives, to create better working conditions, and to stabilize their relationships at different levels. However, after reading the recommended course materials and investigating the worth of the powers of nature and industry, I come to the conclusion that certain transformations cannot be ignored. The culture of the Industrial Age is not only a good opportunity for people to demonstrate their superiority over the sublime power of nature, but also a threat that makes them dependent, unequal, and alienated.
The Industrial Revolution was characterized by a number of benefits that made people admire their progress and new opportunities. It was the period between the 1820s and the 1880s when the first memorable shifts occurred, and natural energy sources were placed by steam engines. People believed that their discoveries contributed to their wealth and the development of new activities. They did not want to be dependent on nature like land or water resources and weather like wind or rain. They protected themselves by building new strong constructions and vehicles to reduce their cooperation with animals (like horses for riding). The power of sublime nature was questioned, and people did not want to stop this discussion.
However, in their intentions to replace nature with technology, people did not notice the moment when they divide themselves into classes. In Europe, Marx called people “property owners and propertyless workers” when political economy and industrialization determined the possibilities of people to live and work. In the United States, colonization was viewed as the source of empowerment. At the same time, it was the reason for new conflicts and fights when people proved their rights and identified their priorities. Compared to the power of nature that was directed to discover human potential, the power of industry focused on identifying human weaknesses. Instead of fighting against inequalities and differentiation, people became involved in various processes and turned out to be dependent on the conditions they created.
It seemed that people were obsessed with the necessity to decrease the sublime power of nature by means of the Industrial Revolution. They tried to remove as many natural resources from their lives as possible. However, with time, evident transformations proved that nature cannot be completely removed from people’s lives. Unfortunately, change does not always mean progress, and the Industrial Age was characterized by changes, but if they were progressive remained a question. Confidence and pride of people made them blind in their desire to be higher than nature. Without even guessing, they made industrialization another sublime power in their lives, and the celebration of the powers of nature was not as necessary as an understanding of the pros and cons of the Industrial Age.
In general, the Romantic notion of the sublime power of nature was considerably transformed by the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s. Such processes as colonization, private property, and division of rights were hard to control, and people wanted to decrease the impact of natural resources on their lives and discovered their opportunities. It was not important to celebrate nature and its strength, and a new culture of the Industrial Age was implemented. Sorry to say but these transformations did not create actual benefits for people but just new frameworks to be recognized and followed.