Social Revolution And Its Effects On Society

The Industrial Revolution has been viewed as one of the most influential events to occur on to the economic world in the history of modern society. The invention of many new items that all helped people performed certain tasks more efficiently lead the world to be able to produce many more goods in a much shorter time frame. The impact of the Industrial Revolution on the world as a whole was that it catapulted the world economy into an almost frenzy like state, in which people had access to a much wider variety of goods and services offered to them by businesses. The impact that this event had on the worker’s life was not necessarily a good or bad thing, however. With

The conditions for early mine workers were crowded, unsafe, hot, and overall poor according to modern day standards. The conditions varied depending on the type of work and location the worker was placed. In mines it was common for the pits to be relatively cold and it was not uncommon for there to be explosions or cave-ins. The mines were also dark, cramped, and had poor air quality that often gave workers lung health problems. The other common workplace for 19th century workers was in factories. These factories were typically intensely hot and required long hours. The workers often sustained injuries from the machinery within the factories. According to the BBC documentary on child labor injuries often happened in the last two hours of the

The topic I have chosen to discuss related to the last 400 years in Western Civilization is the industrial revolution in Britain. The industrial revolution was what created the modern capitalist system. Britain was the first to lead the way in this huge transformation. Technology changed, businesses, manufactured goods, and wage laborers skyrocketed. There was not only an economic transformation, but also a social transformation. The industrial revolution is such an interesting subject to further explore, because it truly made a difference in Britain in the late 1700s. The industrial revolution brought an increased quantity and variety of manufactured goods and even improved the standard of living for some individuals, however, it resulted in grim employment and living conditions that were for the poor and working classes. The industrial revolution had a bright and dark side to it. It was dark due to all the horrible working conditions, crowded cities, unsanitary facilities, diseases, and unsafe work environment, but the bright side is that it was a period of enormous social progress.

In a photograph taken by Lewis Hine, he shows us “how dangerous the machines are that the children are working on and that they were practically working inside of them” (Document 8). Being in a room full of dust and sweat, small children could get all of the dust and lint stuck in their lungs. With no windows, this work habit is highly unsafe for the children. It is actually unsafe for anyone who is stuck in a small room with no windows for thirteen hours a day. In the same interview, Elizabeth Bentley was asked, “To explain what she had to do while working in the flax mill” (Document 7). Her answer was, “When the frames are full, they have to stop the frames, and take the full bobbins off, and carry them to the roller, and then put empty ones on, and set the frame going again” (Document 8). A six year old child doing all this work was a disaster waiting to happen because children could easily get hurt or hurt another person.

From around 1750 to 1900 Britain went through major changes or transformation in industry, agriculture and transportation that affected everybody’s lives. For some it generally improved their lives, however not all were so lucky. The industrial revolution brought with it many changes good for some and bad for others.

If a child were to work at the mill they would start out as young as ten years old. Most of the children that did work at the mill would got to school for about 6 hours then they would go to work for 7 or so hours. Also many of the women that did work at the mill their husbands had died so they had to provide for their children and they typically had more than two children. It was very rough at the mill, the air was filled with fumes and lint and it would get stuck in the worker's lungs and they would get really sick. It was terrible for the children to because they didn’t have a well developed immune system so they would get sick a lot quicker and they would get

The Industrial Revolution occurred in Britain and America around the late 1700’s to 1900. This revolution improved the production of goods using new mechanisms and machines. Human labor was in high demand in order for the highest production rates. Factories employed low to middle-class people that were as young as three years old (Document 9). These workers were benefited with money, shelter, and clothes, but the working and living conditions were not satisfying. The average industrial worker experienced a variety of factors that can be classified as good or bad, including the positive effects of labor, like the shelter, money, and food they were given; and the negative effects of the factory,

We had to start right away with picking the cotton, and that was not even the hardest part because we were wearing the strap that was fastened to the sack around our neck, which made it difficult to breathe. Some of the other workers seem to be natural cotton pickers, because they were able to pick with great rapidity. It was necessary to pick the cotton carefully, in order not to break the branches off the stalks. The punishment for breaking branches was 25 whip leashes at least, so we did not dare to stop working properly. The sounds of whipping were heard from sundown until the lights out. I fear to be caught lagging through the day, I fear to lie down, I fear

Most machines had no safety devices, meaning that one mistake could result in a lost limb, and in worse cases a lost life. Sometimes, workers would even fall asleep in the middle of working next to an unsafe machine. Children were basically taken advantage of in the factories since their small hands and bodies could fit where the adults’ could not. Their job was often to change spools in the humid textile mills or to repair broken machines or threads. The children were young and uneducated and were not aware of the hazards all around them, such as the huge machines. They faced whippings when making a mistake or disobeying. Lint and dust filled the air, weakening the workers’ lungs and eyesight. In conclusion, the environmental factors and machines inside the factories harmed the working-class, resulting in too many illnesses or lost

The workers showed up knowing that the cotton in the air caused brown lung, but sick or healthy they came to work because they knew that someone else was waiting for their spot. For example, Charles Hardy, “The Guitar-Man”, had his arm pulped by one of the machines in the mill causing him not to be able to play his guitar. Byssinosis (brown lung disease) affected many of the workers in the later years. The disease is caused by the cotton and lint that is floating through the air as they worked. It blocked the worker’s airways and eventually would cause the lungs to fail eventually as it progressed over time. It was a gradual, silent killer of many mill workers. “I had a job, I had to go to it” (page 122). There was always someone healthier, younger, and willing to work for less than the mill worker who did not take their job seriously. Coming in late or even not coming it at all because the worker happened to be sick was not acceptable at all and could result in being fired. Time was

Children lost many body parts due to working on these machines they’re required to use. Which goes back to why working in factories is very harmful. Although, these kids already knew what they were getting themselves into while working in the factory. They fairly needed the benefits that were provided for the hours they worked. Plus during this time, it was very difficult to come across work during this time era.

Often, the children were made to work “from five in the morning till nine or ten at night”, with “no time … for breakfast and no sitting for dinner and no time for tea”. These constant and long working hours not only can lead to mental and physical suffering, but they can also cause an increase in injury rates from working in general due to mental and physical fatigue. Additionally, the superiors of the workers often beat the children mercilessly. According to a firsthand account from John Birley, who was a child laborer at the time, a supervisor once “knocked me down knocked me down and threatened me with a stick. To save my head I raised my arm, which he then hit with all his might. My elbow was broken. I bear the marks, and suffer pain from it to this day, and always shall as long as I live...”. This act demonstrates the cruelty the child workers suffered at the hands of the superiors, due to the utter lack of regulation of these textile mills. In fact, the replaceable nature of their jobs and the Combination Acts essentially forced the children to endure this treatment, as they had no other way to support their families. This account is supported by similar accounts from an unbiased third-party doctor who investigated the mills. He stated that not only were the textile mills “nurseries of disease and vice”, the

Firstly, working conditions were horrible at the cotton mills. The atmosphere was warm and dingy, and poor hygiene led to sickness and disease. Not to mention the poor conditions outside the cotton mills from the coal mine’s smoke and other dangerous gases and chemicals. Secondly, children had injustice with long hours and very low pay, working twelve hours a day for a couple of pennies.

In “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted,” Malcolm Gladwell argues that social change like the change that was brought about by the Civil Rights Movement from the 1960’s cannot be achieved through social media. Gladwell reasoning about social change not being achieved through social media is because the way on how there is not a centralized leadership structure, the fact that everyone has an equal say and how activist was once defined by their causes, now they are defined by their tools, has a meaning on why social change cannot be achieved because of social media. Neither strong nor weak ties, would bring a social change, the more ties there, increased the number of high risk activism, the only component of an established centralized leadership can fluctuate to create a social change.

The American Revolution was not a social revolution comparable to the French Revolution of 1789 or the Russian Revolution of 1917. These social revolutions were characterized by a total destruction of the institutional foundations of the old order and transfer of power from the ruling elite to the new social groups.