Industrial Revolution : A Time Of Economic Success

The Industrial Revolution, from 1760 to 1848, introduced factory work and mass production to Britain, changing the world as we know it. But, it didn’t come without setbacks, such as child labour, unhealthy living conditions, and the terrible working conditions that they had to endure.

A paradox is a statement that seems self-contradictory, but it can sometimes express the truth in life. Charles Dickens once referred to the French Revolution in his novel A Tale of Two Cities as “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . .” (Dickens 1). The statement is easily applied to many other time periods in history like the American Industrial Revolution. From the early 1800s to the early 1900s, this revolution had many pros and cons that affected the American society.

The Industrial Revolution was characterised by Britain’s transformation from an agrarian society, to one of manufacturing, rapid urbanisation, mass production, globalising markets, transport and communication developments, and most significantly- constantly increasing technological advances unlike any other point in history (Mokyr 1990). Employment opportunities were different to ever before, as factories, mills, mines, and positions in development became available (Miller & Dodd 2014). Whilst industrialisation paved the way for some of the most significant advances in human history, it is also important to consider the impact it had upon the society in terms of what were often poor living and working conditions.

The Industrial Revolution accentuated what people already were, for better or worse. The poor became poorer, and the rich grew much, much richer. With the almost nonexistent wages, child labor, and severe lack of regulation on pretty much anything, it was near impossible to get up in the world. The first downfall of the Industrial Revolution was the abundance of Child Labor in nearly every industry. Children were taken advantage of and given next to nothing for wages, as well as beating them brutally even for the most trivial offenses. Child laborers would be beaten, whipped, and weighted. Weighting is a disciplinary practice in which a large weight is placed on a child's shoulders (or tied to their feet) and the child is forced to pace back and forth carrying the weight with them. This practice was often doled out to children for hours at a time, kids would walk around with weights up to 75 lbs for as long as 5 hrs. This practice would quite often ruin young children's growth, stunting them permanently and causing them chronic pain for the rest of their lives. Many adults who were child laborers as children still suffer from many adverse negative health effects. William Dodd worked as a child laborer and in 1841 he wrote a book titled A Narrative of a Factory Cripple about all the negative health effects he experienced

The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, was a time during which mainly agricultural, rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and urban. Industrialization created a shift to powered machinery, factories and mass production. The iron and textile industries, as well as the development of the steam engine, played crucial roles in the Industrial Revolution, along with transportation, communication and banking. While industrialization brought about an enlarged amount and variety of manufactured goods and an improved standard of living for some, it also caused grim employment and living conditions for the poor and working classes.

The Industrial Revolution was an innovative period for entrepreneurs and inventors, in which many monumental technologies were introduced. However, many of those of the factory workers suffered from the social and economic conditions that resulted from the revolution in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some social conditions were that working women increasingly took up the workforce in textile factories as a way to earn money, but they also faced abuse from men and the harsh working conditions. Furthermore, manufacturers wanted to increase their profits by ensuring that the maximum amount of work could be done in a day, thus they increased the working shifts. The want to increase profits was an economic condition that factory workers had to

The Industrial Revolution transformed Britain in many ways, but not all of its aspects were positive. The upper and middle class saw great profits, while the lower class and working families still struggled. Many factors changed work during the Industrial Revolution. After the cottage system became obsolete, factories were created near resources and transportation routes. The factories were large buildings for industrial space and power supply. Factories were beneficial for business people, but not for workers. Factory owners paid extremely low wages, demanded long work hours, avoided improvements to working conditions, and trimmed wages where possible. People who worked in the factories were a part of the lower class. The lower class increased in size during the Industrial Revolution because of the need for workers. A university degree could lift someone to the middle class, but most lower class people had no chance of education. Workers had long work days in unsafe conditions, for little pay. Shifts were as long as 12-16 hours. The most common industries were the textile industry and the coal industry. In the textile industry, the air was filled with fluff and microscopic fibers which got into worker’s lungs. The noise of looms and other machines was deafening. In the coal industry coal miners worked from early morning till late night and only saw the sun once a week. The coal industry was

The Industrial Revolution was one of he factors that lead to great development of many countries. The Industrial Revolution’s hearth, the United Kingdom, started the great economic and societal changes that were results of the country’s rapid industrialization. This revolutionary period, lasting from the late 18th Century to the early 19th Century, helped shape today’s world and its effects are still seen. Since the Industrial Revolution was born in the United Kingdom, the effects are most clearly seen there. It lead to new inventions, manufacturing processes, an increased population, and a radically different urban geography. Not all of the alterations that the Industrial Revolution brought were positive; it affected Great Britain in both positive and negative ways.

The Industrial Revolution began in 19th century England and eventually spread to Belgium, France, Germany, the United States and Japan. It was a fundamental change in the way goods were produced, due to the Agrarian Revolution and new technology; it altered the way people lived. The Industrial Revolution, a major turning point in world history, began in England because of the important pre existing economic abundance of natural resources that fueled industry, the agricultural revolution which provided the availability of workers by lessening the need for farmers, and the technological innovations made in England. The mixture of new technology and already existing resources that benefited the economy gave rise to the revolution having its start in England.

There are two major industrializations that have occurred through out history, both which began in England. The Industrial Revolution was from 1750 until 1800. The first and second industrialization were filled with many inventions, new societal ideas, new raw materials, new sources of power, also new ideas and societal implements were made enabling the world and society to evolve. Overall these industrialization was filled with death, neglect, and disease but ended up changing the world forever with creating a new economic life, altered social relations, and a change in power; therefore one is able to agree that “Short term misery, long term gain” would be an adequate representation to this time period.

The Industrial Revolution was one of the most impactful eras in the history of the world. It changed the way we worked, lived, owned, and generally thought. With advent of economic philosophies like capitalism and communism, the way we worked and lived was written down and itemized, and western civilization was never the same. The concepts of jobs, urbanization, and credit might have allowed the world to progress into a veritable economical ecosystem, defining our modern definition of living, but they also came with an array of downsides and consequences that, in retrospect, painted the time period in which they arrived in an overall negative light. It is with these downsides considered that we must ask ourselves: overall, was The

Inhumane working conditions such as hazardous tasks, long hours, unhealthy work enviroments and pressure from labor unions also increased the importance of effective management of human resources. Along with the manufacturing efficiencies brought about by industrialization came several shortcomings related to working conditions. N & H ensures that they are creating a positive, safe and healthy environment for employees. The benefit of having a healthy workforce is that healthier employees are absent less often. Healthy workers are more motivated to stay in work, recover from sickness quicker and are at less risk of long term illness.

Progress can only be achieved in great amounts quickly through revolutions, and the world needed a revolution. This would be achieved through the glorious Industrial Revolution.

“The era known as the Industrial Revolution was a period in which fundamental changes occurred in agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation, economic policies, and the social structure in England” (Montagna). Numerous factors contributed to the rise of the Industrial Revolution such as: the invention of machines, factories mass producing materials, the discovery of coal and oil, and the advancement of technology. Houses, factories, railroads, and other infrastructures were in the process of being formed, as well. The Industrial Revolution opened many jobs for citizens, even though the working conditions were terrible. Child labor became popular since owners began to pay children with low wages. Along with child labor, women were being taking advantage of by working late hours and still not receiving the amount worked for. An abundant amount of land had to be used during this period for the expansion of the population, which lead to an increase in deforestation.

The industrial revolution was a fundamental change in the way goods were produced from human labor to machines .This revolution changed human life drastically .These machines were invented to replace human labor and create new energy sources .New energy sources were developed to power the new machines such as water,steam,electricity ,oil ,and gas .The transportation improved from wooden ships to iron ships to steal ships which was a really big change .