Durkheim believed that the division of labor was essential to the well-being of society. The chief utility of the division of labor was that it formed the basis for social solidarity. Durkheim distinguished between the solidarity that characterized premodern society and that which emerged from modern society.
According to Durkheim, the Industrial Revolution had far-reaching effects on the social interactions of people in Europe and America (x). Prior to the Industrial Revolution, mechanical solidarity existed in which people's interactions occurred mainly because they were engaged in similar activities. Consider for instance, medieval society with its sharply drawn divisions between the rural population, artisans, clerics, the military, and the nobility. Goods were produced by the collective efforts of relatively small, close-knit groups of people. Extended family members often worked together on farms, home-based shops, or at locations in close proximity to the home. The comparatively simple division of labor that characterized pre-industrial society gave rise to guilds, entry into which was difficult for outsiders. The skills of the artisans were passed down from one generation to another. Maintaining social solidarity was relatively simple during premodern times.
Achieving social solidarity became more problematic with the advent of the post-Industrial Revolution era. Machine work replaced hand work. Most manufacturing employees were consigned to regimented, uniform activities that required little creativity and, once learned, became tedious. The mass production of large quantities of goods necessitated the removal of workers from the close-knit, homelike environment of premodern labor. In addition, the Industrial Revolution resulted in a sharp increase in human mobility (333).
Durkheim contended that the unsettling changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution would have had a severely negative impac...