To what extent do the sources support the conclusion that, during the period 1780-1914, the British economy and society were transformed, and with remarkably little conflict?During From the period 1780 to 1914, Britain witnessed an industrial revolution that placed it head and shoulders above other developing countries in Europe and the Americas. But was this transformation the one predicted by Karl Marx, a step in a series of steps toward the establishment of the communist state? If this were true, then the period 1780-1914 would show a transformation with a series of revolutions and vast conflicts between social classes as well as the growth of the proletariat. However, the liberal view suggests that regardless of all the new innovations and advances in industry and social structure, there will be little conflict, mainly of opinion. So how revolutionary was the Industrial Revolution? This brings us to the subtext of whether this transformation was more liberal or Marxist. Through the analysis of sources, this essay will argue the issue and make a judgment at the end. Eric J. Svedenstierna, the author of Source 1 describes Manchester as a city at the forefront of the industrial revolution, mainly because of its cotton factories and spinning machines. His positive description of the city shows that not only is he impressed by the progress evident, but he is also sympathetic to the nature of that progress and can therefore be inferred that his view of the situation was relatively sophisticated and calm. This therefore supports the belief that the transformation took place with remarkably little conflict, a contradiction with the Marxist view. However, it can be argued that the revolution was not like the French political revolution of 1789 which happened suddenly, but was a process that lasted over 50 years. The source is dated 1802, a period of relatively slow growth compared to the years 1815-1821, when the Corn Laws were introduced and a trade recession created unemployment, poverty and unrest. Marxist historians such as EJ Hobsbawm and Friedrich Engels will argue that it is at this stage that revolutionary ideas develop among workers. Yet source 1 suggests that there was no conflict of any kind and therefore agrees with the conclusion. Source 2 also takes a more liberal approach in terms of industrial progress, describing factory conditions as "extremely favorable", and "the toil is not very intense or incessant »..