The First Industrial Revolution

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Part A.
The two most significant social consequences of the First Industrial Revolution (c. 1780-1850) are urbanization and child labor. Because people moved from rural areas into cities, the living conditions changed for the worse and with the invention of the steam-operated power loom in 1785, children were able to operate this simple machine and produce textiles for the exploding population ("Begins," n.d.). The Industrial Revolution began as the development of iron making and the use of refined coal triggered the invention of machine-based manufacturing of textiles ("Industrial Revolution," n.d.).
Urbanization was a significant consequence of the First Industrial Revolution because of the poor living conditions in the larger cities. No longer working and living on rural farms, the workers needed a place to live. The British town of Manchester had a huge population growth from 17,000 residents in 1750 to 70,000 in 1801("Social Impact," n.d.). Because of the population explosion, the abundant textile factories, and the proximity to the Atlantic port of Liverpool, “Manchester quickly became the textile capital of the world” ("Effects," n.d.). The living conditions of tenements set up for factory workers were horrendous. Because there was no running water or sewage system, waste was dumped into the rivers creating a horrible stench throughout the city. Drinking water became contaminated and diseases such as cholera spread throughout the city ("Social Impact," n.d.).
Child labor was rampant during the Industrial Revolution because cheap labor was vital to the profitable production of textiles. Children received pay of 1/10th of an adult and they could reach into tight spaces to easily perform maintenance on the new m...

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..._Revolution.html
Responses to the Industrial Revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://webs.bcp.org/sites/vcleary/ModernWorldHistoryTextbook/IndustrialRevolution/responsestoIR.html#marx
Social impact of the Industrial Revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cove.k12.or.us/sites/cove.k12.or.us/files/File/teachers/gorhamj/World_History/wh07_te_ch19_s03.pdf
The Industrial Revolution begins in England (1760-1850). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://webs.bcp.org/sites/vcleary/ModernWorldHistoryTextbook/IndustrialRevolution/IRbegins.html#Topofpage
The spectrum of economic systems. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tulelake.k12.ca.us/ths/Teachers/mhartung/CLASSES/ECONOMICS/Student_Edition_Text/support/PDF/docs/chap18.pdf charitycarney. (2013, May 23). Capitalism and Communism overview [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MfLA7j5N7I&feature=youtu.be

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