Robertson's'

Industrial Revolution that took place first in England during 18th century brought about sweeping changes throughout Europe. Never before in history did social changes take place on such a massive scale. Sociology emerged in the context of the sweeping changes.Factory system of production and the consequent mechanisation and industrialisation brought turmoils in society. New industries and technologies change the face of the social and physical environment. The simple rural life and small-scale home industries were replaced by complex urban life and mass production of goods. Industrialisation changed the direction of civilisation. It destroyed, or radically altered, the medieval customs, beliefs and ideals.Industrialisation and led to urbanisation. Peasants left rural areas and flocked to the towns, where they worked as industrial labourers under dangerous conditions. Cities grew at an unprecedented rate providing an anonymous environment for people. Social problems became rampant in the fast developing cities. Aristocrats and monarchies crumbled and fell. Religion began to lose its force as a sours of moral authority. "For the first time in history, rapid social change became the normal rather than abnormal state of affairs, and people could no longer expect that their children would live much the same lives as they had done. The direction of social change was unclear, and the stability of the social order seemed threatened. An understanding of what was happening was urgently needed' ["Sociology" Page: 11]Its clear from the above that sociology was born out of the attempt to understand the transformations of that seemed to threaten the stability of European society. Social thinkers like Comte, Spencer and others argued that there was an urgent need to establish a separate science of society. They believed that such a science would be of great help in understanding the nature and problems of society and find out solutions for the same.