More handpicked essays just for you.
Industrial revolution impact on society
Industrial revolution problems essay
The industrial revolution effects on society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
There were many revolutions that happened throughout the world. The one that really shaped modern day society was the Industrial Revolution in Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries. It changed the whole of Britain and would later change the world. Despite the early social problems of child labour and sanitation created by the Industrial Revolution, its long-term social reforms including; the Factory Act and the Public Health Act outweighed the short-term issues encountered. All over Britain new factories were being built and with them, the demand for workers increased. Even though the pay was low for adults, it was still too much for the factory owners to afford. They also needed workers who were small enough to fit into the tight spaces in the new machines. Child labour was the only option. There were many more dangerous jobs which children had to perform, some included crawling under the wool and cotton machines to fix threads. These children had to work for the majority of the day with little or no breaks. Some of them were as young as four. Children were made to work in mines as rushers and harriers. These jobs as well as many other jobs often meant very young children had to work long hours. “I am a harrier. I am fourteen years old and I have been employed ever since I was six. I come to work at seven o’clock, and sometimes leave at four, five or six in the evening in summer, and in the winter near seven.” (Speed and Speed, 1985). As stated in that quote, children had a hard life working in mines and other work places. The pay was also much lower than adult workers in the same factory. Injury was common in work places for kids; they ranged from broken bones to death. The factories had very poor sanitation, which led to... ... middle of paper ... ... increased. Hiring adults decreased the profit for the factory and most adult workers couldn’t fit into the small spaces in-between the machinery. The only option was child labour. Their rights as well as the rights of the adult workers were improved with the passing of the Factory Act. The sudden concentration of workers in cities caused diseases to spread. Diseases were being transferred from human to human in the cramped living spaces and spread by water or animals such as rats. In 1848 when the Public Health Act was passed, it created a Board of Health in each city to look after and stop the spread of diseases. The Industrial Revolution may have caused many problems which meant Acts and laws had to be passed (and then monitored, regulated and enforced created more work for the government of the day), but without them, we wouldn’t have many of today’s luxuries.
The lives of large section For the first time in history children were an important factor of the economic system, but at a terrible price. The master of the factories employed children for two reasons. One, because of their small body which can get inside the machines to clean it and use their nimble fingers. Second, the masters use to pay low wages to the children who could be easily manipulated. The average age for the parents to send their children to work was ten.
Industrialization provided many benefits for the nation but however, it also created serious problems that required action by the government. Most of the factories owners treated their employees unfairly and unequal. They made them work large amount of hours for underpaid wages. Most of the people even children, worked 16 hours for 25 cents a day. Their employees had to deal with unsafe machines that sometimes were extremely dangerous. If they got injured they didn’t have any financial aid or any kind of compensation that helps them to get better. Instead they were kicked out from their job. If a machine caught fire, they didn’t have safety measures such as fire drills or emergency exits that make the exit of the building such an easy task. Most of food factories, didn’t force their employees to wear gloves, masks and hair nets while they were working and manipulating the products. This lack of hygiene measures brought a large amount of diseases that easily spread out around the country through the food these factories sold. Sometimes costumers could find hair or even eat meat where someone had sneezed on it. Because of the excess of power that monopolies had believed they could treat their employees however they wanted. To achieve better hours, better wages, and better working conditions the government passed several laws th...
Children as young as young as five or seven years old worked in dangerous factories. Many times if the children fell asleep while on the job, they would slip and get stuck in the machines, resulting in death. Child labor in the late 1800’s was very unsafe and put the lives of young children in danger. The children worked in very dangerous conditions, most of the time it was factories. The conditions were very poor, the factories were dirty and unsafe for children. The children would work for up to sixteen hours with little to no pay.
The labor conditions that children faced were very demanding for a human being from such a small age. For example “In the Manayunk district of Philadelphia, children as young as seven assisted in spinning and weaving of cotton and woolen goods” (Wolensky 2). The children working in the factories had their childhood freedom taken away from them. “In 1830 in a sample of 43 Manchester mills, 22.3% of the workforce was under 14 and 32.4% under 16” (Cunningham 412). This means that about 50% of the workforce in the mills were made up of children under the age of 16 and in today in the United States, a person cannot work until the age of 16. “And it is a hard thing for small children to be confined in a tight close room all day long. It affects their growth, makes them pale and sickly” (Nason). The time these children spent in the factories prevented them from spending time with their neighbors, friends, and family. The fact that young children had to work in these textile mills, created changes to American culture on how childhood years are supposed to be spent.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Great Britain went through change in all phases of life with the industrial revolution. Scientific improvements and technological modernizations brought growing industrial and agricultural production. The biggest changes were in rural areas, where the local land sometimes became urban and industrialized because of advances in agriculture and industry.
These comforts and conveniences included better and more developed homes, cheaper clothes, more tools and utensils to work with, and faster and cheaper travel. One of the most important concerns of this time period is the effect of child labor. Document 7 states: Large machines and rising demand for products quickly led to the growth of the factory system. The building of these factories led to the hiring of massive numbers of child workers, the youngest at 11 to 12 years old.
Many businesses and factories hired children because they were easier to exploit; they could be paid less for more work in dangerous conditions. Plus, their small size made many children idea for working with small parts or fitting into small spaces. Children as young as four could be found working in factories, though most were between eight and twelve. Despite the economic gains made by the business that employed them, many children suffered in the workplace. The industrial setting caused many health problems for the children that, if they lived long enough, they would carry with them for the rest of their lives. Children were also more likely to face accidents in the workplace, often caused by fatigue, and many were seriously injured or killed. Despite efforts by reformers to regulate child labor, it wasn’t until the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that children under 14 were prohibited from
England was a society dominated by children. During the reign of Queen Victoria one out of three of her servants were under the age of fifteen. Child labor was a prominent issue, because there were no systems to ensure the safety of children. During the start of the industrial revolution, there was a “high demand” for labor (Robson 53). Many families moved from rural areas to new, industrialized cities. After a while things weren’t looking as “promising” as they did before (Boone 23). In order to maintain, families had to put almost all of their family members to work. This led to a rise in the number of child labor. Children were “mistreated, underpayed and overworked” (Kincaid 30). Using children to do all of the hard work, the mining companies believed, was the most sensible and efficient way to get the job done. Because the children were a lot smaller, it was easy for them to “maneuver through tight spaces” and on top of that the children demanded little or no pay at all(Boone 43 ). These wages were enough to persuade companies to use children for all sorts of dangerous jobs such as coal mining and chimney sweeps. Children were called to do many other “horrible” jobs, jobs that adults in this era could not bear, just so long as the bills were paid (Robson 18). The working conditions and treatment of young children during this era was horrible and a lot was done to put an end to it.
The Industrial Revolution was an era between 1780 and 1850 where new inventions and machinery flourished, replacing human labor with machines in the production and manufacturing of goods. The Cottage Industry helped give rise to the Industrial Revolution with its inventions such as the flying shuttle, spinning jenny, water frame, and spinning mule, all of which were mainly operated by women. This opened new opportunities for women in the working industry but this also introduced working class injustices, gender exploitation, and standard-of-living issues. Women 's experiences in factories reflected the profound social changes of the revolution and continuities with traditional working-class ways of life through their poor working conditions, demoralization, and little reward for their hard work.
The time that is known as Industrial Revolution started about in 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840. This era was a period that some fundamental changes affect the textile manufacture, metallurgy, agriculture and transportation. Industrial Revolution means the devolution from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron process. The Revolution started in England and within a little time spread in some countries of Europe and United States.
Child labor is nothing but cheap labor. The big companies loved cheap labor because then they could make an item for not very much money, and make a huge profit margin. Fried continues to state how cheap the labor was, “One glass factory in Massachusetts was fenced with barbed wire ‘to keep the young imps inside.’ These were boys under 12 who carried loads of hot glass all night for a wage of 40 cents to $1.10 per night.” Unlike, children today who are in bed sleeping by 8 pm each night, these children had to stay up all night working to make just enough income for their families.
Throughout history there have been many important revolutions that have help to shape society as it is today. There are different causes, from political to religious, economic to social. Any revolution affects those in society, and creates changes for the people in the society. There are three important revolutions that took place in the late 18th century that changed the world for the better. The French Revolution, the American Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution all took place in the late 1700s. Although each had a different purpose, they all lead to a better way of life for many. The French and American Revolutions are examples of some which are brought about and enforced solely by the people. Although they had different reasons behind them, both had the same idea behind them- social change. The Industrial Revolution was different, it was a technological revolution which had positive social outcomes. While one can easily compare the French and American Revolutions because of their social causes and outcomes, the Industrial Revolution can only be compared to the other two when examining their outcomes.
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 Civil War left enormous devastation in the countryside and huge losses in the human life. At the same time, it provided the stimulus to the second industrial revolution. The first Industrial Revolution brought on many changes in people 's life. Before the year of 1760 majority of the population lived in rural areas of the country and worked plowing fields, the revolution changed all that and brought many to the cities to work in manufacturing. The Civil War in America put a halt to it and slowed the progression of industrialization.
Factory and mine owners exploited the situation by offering families a means to make more money, by putting their children to work. Industry profited from this arrangement by saving money, since child labor was more “cost effective”. According to one historian, Clark Nardinelli, “in 1835 56,000 children under the age of thirteen were working in textile factories alone. By 1874, the number of child laborers in the market hit its peak with over 122,000 children between the ages of 10 and thirteen working in textile factories (4).” ... ...