The factors that influenced the emergence of society in the mid-nineteenth century

Sociologists study societies and their development in terms of their economies, religions, political decisions and laws. The Industrial Revolution in Europe marked significant social and political upheaval. Many people from the countryside in England were forced to migrate to cities as their lands were being taken over by landlords for intensive farming systems. In the cities, people generated new ideas about democracy and political rights. There was emergence of ideas about individual rights to life, pursuit of happiness and liberty, which laid a base to future political revolution. The second factor that led to the development of sociology was imperialism. The conquering of many parts of the world by Europe exposed Europeans to radically different cultures. Shocked by these divergent ways of life, they began to ask why cultures varied from each other. Finally, the success of natural sciences triggered people to interrogate basic elements of their social world. This marked the beginning of scientific method in studying human behavior.