The British Industrial Revolution

By Definition, a rapid major change in an economy (as in England in the late 18th century) marked by the general introduction of power-driven machinery, or by an important change in the prevailing types and methods of use of such machines.- Merriam- Webster This definition over simplifies the industrial revolution. In reality the Industrial Revolution was much more complex and encompasses many different aspects. With that said the events that led to the Industrial Revolution were even more complicated. How and why Great Britain was the first to lead the Revolution was multifaceted and involves many aspects of economic and social developments. The predisposition of easily acquired recourse and healthy state politics allowed Great Britain to prosper. A core piece of the Industrial revolution was the advent of new technology. This technology would increase the production and efficiency of all factories. As more and more people flooded the cities and towns the demand for more goods skyrocketed pushing civilization into a new age. The Industrial Revolution was a cycle that feed itself, with need came technology and with technology came need and through this process arose new society. What led Great Britain to become the first country to star in the Industrial Revolution, comes down to a complex system of factors. Each aspect holds a major role in the contribution in the growth of the Industrial Revolution and of Great Britain.

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.

The changes involved with industrialization had lead to an increased struggle between the classes, driving the working class and wealthy class further apart.  The wealthy could have afforded many different means of escape, from traveling to the countryside to enjoying the theater.  Their lives were relatively painless compared to the difficult lives of the poor.  Factory work, made possible and necessary by industrialization, was a huge part of the lives of the working class.  The poor did not enjoy the same benefits as the rich, while they did contribute the backbreaking labor necessary to drive industrialization.

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,

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 Industrial Revolution in Great Britain did little to improve life for the common people; the Industrial Revolution negated the principle of Utilitarianism as seen through the lack of support given to the middle and lower classes. Although the Industrial Revolution may have provided work for the lower classes, the work required was dangerous and paid next to nothing. The Industrial Revolution also led to the creation of monopolies which prevented Adam Smith’s idea of a capitalist market driven by competition nearly impossible. Industrialization left many people poverty stricken and uneducated. The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain reduced living conditions in Great Britain through income inequality, the degradation of the environment,

“By the 1800s, people could earn higher wages in factories than on farms.” (Industrialization; Case study:Manchester, 723) Although these higher wages made in factories pushed the industrial revolution forward, by being able to afford resources such as coal, factory life damaged its workers and the community by created border between classes. For example, working conditions. Working conditions during this time were extremely poor, and on average, a worker would spend 14 hours a day in factories. Factories were unsanitary, unsafe and generally not enjoyable. “Factories were seldom well lit or clean. Machines injured workers. A boiler might explode or a drive belt might catch an arm. And there was no government program to provide aid in case of injury.” (Industrialization; Case

Early part of the 18th century, coals were being extracted from deep mines. As coal productivity increased, more and more miners went beneath the earth and worked for a very long time with hazardous conditions. The average work day consisted of 14 hours and 6 days a week. Betty Harris is a woman who “...work[ed] from 6 in the morning until 6 at night” in a coal mine. This led to lack of time to spend with her family and no time given to her kids. The brutal consequences of working for hours in a coal mine is seen through the Parliamentary Report on English Female Miners, 1832. This shows one situation out of many workers who suffered in the Industrial Revolution (Document 3). Furthermore, the appalling environment inside the factories resulted in the decrease of life expectancy. Due to this, a farmer who worked in rural areas was more likely to survive longer than a factory worker who worked in the city. Machines in factories expected textile workers to bend down for a long time, which caused awful postures “...limbs slender, and playing badly...general bowing of the legs...with raised chests and spinal flexures” (Document 4). The sharp decrease of working age during the Industrial Revolution is seen through the Age Distribution of Workers in Cotton Mills in Lancashire 1833. This chart identifies that the most common age of workers for males was about 11 years old through 16 years old (Document 5). Older people were less likely to work in factories because of health issues and accidents that have happened that affected their ability to work. Working hours and life expectancy prove that working conditions during the Industrial Revolution were atrocious due to employers neglecting

At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the working class—who made up 80% of society—had little bargaining power with their new bosses. Working conditions were very tough, and sometimes tragic. Factory employers demanded a complete change of pace and discipline from the village life. Laborers worked twelve hours a day, six days a week, without vacations or holidays. There were safety hazards at the job as well due to the dangerous machinery they had to work with. Under such dangerous conditions, accidents occurred regularly. The majority of the workers also saw very little social mobility during work. But, during the

The Industrial Revolution produced many issues in the treatment of employees. Many workers did not receive fair wages and many children were forced to work in dangerous conditions for little to no pay. The songs the mistreated workers wrote acted as means for solidarity. They were methods of expressing their unfair conditions. For example, "Eight Hour Strike," (1872) by Billy Pastor, expresses the length of work days and how they seemed to drag. "The Worker's Anvil," by Laura M. Griffing, celebrated the cause of labor during the revolution.

America has been expanding and growing since its birth out of Great Britain. The Industrial Revolution has been an influence in the American life since it first in the 1700s. “Most families did not have enough to sell at the market- they had just enough for their own needs.” Up until the factories started booming and employment rates skyrocketed, people really couldn’t become wealthy and live a decent life. As the ways of farming grew the English at the time began to use up more and more land efficiently. “Unusable swamplands could be drained and used for crops.” That’s absolutely amazing that in this era they could turn swamps into areas to raise more crops so they can naturally make more money at the markets and become a bit wealthier. Farming is one of the most important lively hoods of mankind; no matter what argument anyone tries to make. If we didn’t have farming and agricultural production we wouldn’t have all the different sorts of food products we do, nor would they be as abundant. Life would be like it was before the Industrial Revolution came about and most of us would still be growing our own food and barely scraping by in life. With all this agricultural expansion of the time population in England start expanding drastically as well. Thanks to population growth people started to worry more about new inventions and producing stuff for us to make our day to day lives easier than we could have ever before. With all the technological advancements leading up to

One of the most identifiable downsides to the Industrial Revolution, were the social issues that ensued. The continuation of industrialization led to more and more farmers to move to cities and work in factories. Work in factories was dismal, dangerous, and degrading. In Britain, until the 1840’s there were no mandates on safety in factories (Osborne, 86). Work days could go on for up to sixteen hours (Social and Political...) with little pay.

Think about your life for one second: you communicate with people, travel, make purchases, and utilize those commodities. But have you ever wondered what made those things possible? After all, you go to the store to buy things you need. You drive a car to work and to visit your friends. If you need to talk to someone, you simply pick up your phone or computer. However, none of this would be possible without a means of communication, factories to manufacture the products you need, places to work, and ways to travel and transport goods. And what made these possible? The answer is the Industrial Revolution, which started in Europe around the year 1730. A revolution is a major change or turning point in something. The Industrial Revolution

There is no doubt that the Industrial Revolution plays a central role in the modern British history. The structure of British society has forever changed by the impact and consequences of Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution is often stated as the increase of the number of factories, the exercise of steam power in a wide range of area and the mass-production produced by new technology in the course of 1750 to 1850 (Lane, 1978: 72). Engles (1986: 37) argued that the Industrial Revolution’s mainly development were the invention of the steam engine and the cotton industry. As the improvement of technology, the steam engine could produce more power with less

The Industrial Revolution was the quintessence of capitalistic ideals; it bred controversy that led to Karl Marx’s idea of communism as a massive grass roots reaction to the revolution’s social abuses. Firstly, the Industrial Revolution featured the construction of machines, systems and factories that allowed goods to be manufactured at a faster rate with a lower cost. The seed drill made it so there could be “a semi-automated, controlled distribution and plantation of wheat seed”(Jones 2013). Secondly, there was a great social and economic divide between the wealthy owners and the poor workers, which gave rise to the mass’s vulnerability to the advent of extreme socialism. Figures of authority severely oppressed their employees by giving them insufficient pay, a treacherous work environment, and even making some children work more than 12 hours per day (Cranny 150). Finally, far right capitalism created a brutal boom and bust cycle of economics that made, for the multitude at the bottom, a perpetual nightmare of poverty and death. People responded to this social situation by taking part in violent protests; oppression sires rebellion. The Industrial Revolution was the chassis of great imagination and progress of political, economic, and social force that still affects this world today.