Taking a Look at the Industrial Revolution

616 Words2 Pages

The Industrial Revolution was a very productive time. Everything was changing, and arguably mostly for the worst. When most people talk about the Industrial Revolution they usually talk about the revolutionary inventions,the factory system that helped change the world and the creation of modern cities through urbanization. As great as these innovations were the Industrial Revolution was sadly a double edged sword. What these people are missing is the horrible effects these inventions had on the people of Britain during these times.

One of the opening events of the Industrial Revolution was the wave of new inventions. The new inventions were made with great intent and a promise for an easier future that would be free of excessive labor. New tools made most jobs at the time easier. For example, the seed drill invented in 1701 by Jethro Tull, and the spinning jenny created by James Hargreaves in 176 all took a farming or sewing job that would ordinarily take a human a long time, and doubled the pace which lessened the work load. The seed drill allowed for the quick planting of seeds while the spinning jenny allowed multiple things to be sewn at the same time. New tools such as these created many new jobs as they needed people to run and maintain the machines, creating a new field of work: operation and maintenance. However for all the good these wonderful inventions caused, there was much misfortune caught in their wake. Since these tools reduced the physical labor needed to do these tasks many people lost their jobs or in most cases their livelihood.

After losing their jobs or their farms, many farmers gained new employment in factories. These jobs were part of the new field of work that the Industrial Revolution created: operati...

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...ife to many. This period of time is easily one of mankind’s most inhuman and cruel.

Works Cited

Venning, Annabel. "Britain's Child Slaves:." Weblog post. Mail Online. Newspaper, 17 Sept. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. .
"Man-Made to Machining - History of the Industrial Revolution." Man-Made to Machining - History of the Industrial Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. .
"The Factory System." The Factory System. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. .
Dogra, Aastha. Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. .

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