The Industrial Revolution
Introduction to the Revolution
The Industrial revolution was a time of drastic change marked by the general introduction of power-driven machinery. This change generally helped life, but it had its disadvantages as well. Pollution, such as Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere rose, working conditions declined, and the number of women and children working increased. The government, the arts, literature, music, architecture and man's way of looking at life all changed during this period. Two revolutions took place.
Industrialization is the process in which a society transforms itself from an agricultural society, farming, to a society based on manufacturing goods and services, using machinery. The Industrial Revolution acquired a colossal impact on societies, making forceful changes in the lives of individuals, and changing the social classes drastically, but not all classes benefited equally. Those who were lucky enough to be business owners or had the opportunity to obtain a better profession, were able to enjoy leisure time and comfort in many ways. Those who were uneducated and were limited to unskilled labor work, remained at the bottom of the economic ladder. Furthermore, the two classes that benefited from the Industrial Revolution were the “upper” and “middle” class, leaving the “lower” class to be the only one who suffers. In other words, the rich got richer, the middle class grew, and the poor remained poor. The deeper the Industrial Revolution grew, the more powerful the “upper” and “middle” class became. To remain at the top of the social ladder, the upper class had to continue being the wealthiest and most powerful.
The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change and increased efficiency. No more would be goods be produced by sole means of farming and agriculture, but now by the use of machinery and factories. Technology was beginning to increase along with the food supply as well as the population. However, this increase in population would greatly impact the social aspect of that time. Urbanization was becoming much more widespread. Cities were becoming overwhelmingly crowded and there was an increase in disease as well as harsh child labor. Although child labor would be reduced somewhat due to unions, the Industrial Revolution still contained both it’s positive and negative results.
The Industrial Revolution made changes to the lives of individuals. Two classes that affected from it were the "middle" and “upper” class. These two classes included people that had wealth and success. Even though most could afford these things anyways, the prices lowered even more and made it more reliable for others, And that those who could not afford them before could now enjoy the comfort and use of the new products being made. The middle class was composed of businessmen and other professionals. The larger the Industrial Revolution grew, the more powerful these individuals became and work began to grow.
The Industrial Revolution brought sought change but also improvement. As the death rates began to fall and the birth rates started increasing, an upsurge in the world trade brought hope to the new society. The family structure brought a new light to forming families in regards to a more lenient way of life. The Industrial Revolution enhanced the way of life through the growth in industrial inventions. Although the sanitation seemed almost unbearable, the working class made do by maintaining hope for a better life for themselves and their families. If I were ever required to re-live England in the time of its Industrial Revolution, I do not think I could pursue the same hope as the people who endured it.
The Industrial Revolution was one of the major movements of the late 18th century moving into the early 19th century in American than spread eastward towards Europe. Using steam power to run machinery and then used as a form of transportation was the beginning of industrialization. Industrialization is defined as efficiency; things got done much faster and were not as time consuming versus doing tasks by hand. During this time, everything was centered on getting things done faster. Key factors of the revolution were traveling, the spreading of ideas, introducing more people into the workforce such as women and children, and negative effects on the population and the environment.
A movement of industrialization transformed nations everywhere. Many countries experienced social and economic prosperity in this period known as the Industrial Revolution. The people of these countries also experienced change (Jacob, par. 1-5). Prior to the revolution, life for many was much different, allowing for many changes to occur; innovations reached several countries involved in this movement, and the lives of the citizens were largely impacted both positively and negatively.
Urbanization during the Industrial Revolution brought many changes to the economic and social lives of the wealthy, the working class, the poor and the homeless. The Industrial Revolution was the period from the first half of the 18th century to the middle of the 19th century. Many major changes occurred in this period, including job loss on a large scale, a rise in unemployment, the shift from agricultural work to machinery work, transport, and trade. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the manufacturing of most goods was done at home using hand tools or basic machinery. During the Industrial Revolution there was a major shift into factories where they built special-purpose machinery in order to mass produce items.
In the second half of the eighteenth century, European economy commenced to gradually industrialize. This development, significantly more than any other, differentiated the West from other civilizations for centuries to come. The economic development, known as the European Industrial Revolution, resulted in a stable economic growth, despite major faults in factory owner’s executions or depressions. One criticized aspect of the revolution is the working conditions, famous for it’s harsh nature. The labor force adopted the “rigorous discipline exercised by the new industrial capitalists,” which proved to be traumatic, dangerous, and strict. As a response to the working conditions, reform groups, differing in approach, were formed such as trade unions, the Luddites, and the Chartists, however despite their efforts, very little was succeeded in ameliorating the conditions.
The Industrial Revolution sparked a movement in which society became industrious and urbanized. The way humanity worked and functioned socially was altered forever. Technological innovations allowed people to work faster and more efficiently, therefore increasing product, revenue, and profit.The Industrial Revolution was an improvement for people both socially and technologically and is the reason for industrialized success today.