The Impact Of The Industrial Revolution In Great Britain

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,

Many had to work from dawn until dusk and barely got to see their families. In the spring of 1866, a group of three hundred fifty thousand workers went on strike in hopes of an eight hour work day. Throughout cities all over the country large groups of strikers took to the street. In New York, twenty five thousand people marched down Broadway all in hope of a shorter work day. The biggest effect of the strike took place in Chicago. With forty thousand strikers, every railroad, stockyard and many businesses were forced to close. Unlike most strikes against big business, many people did receive what they had asked for. In fact, forty five thousand people were given the eight hour work day just to not strike. The meer numbers of this strike truly speak to how desperate workers were of shorter work days. However, big business did not care the only thing on their mind was money. The only reason many of these workers received their demand were due to the fact that business would lose more in a few days of shut down as compared to 2 hours less work a day. Another example of how work hours affected the poor was described by Morris Rosenfeld as, “I have a little boy at home… A stranger I am to my child; and a stranger my child is to me.” This excerpt from his poem entitled “My Boy” shows how due to the long work hours, many parents were not home enough to raise their children. However, this was the least of

Many mill workers came from small countryside farms who needed work after the farms could not support their lifestyle. With the expansion of mills and factories, work was easy to find but brought negative consequences to the new lifestyle. A secondary source shares the pros and cons of this revolution; “Industrial Revolution created economic growth and offered new opportunities, that progress came with significant downsides, from damage to the environment and health and safety hazards to squalid living conditions” (HISTORY, 2021). Despite the poor working conditions, workers speaking out against these poor conditions helped the formation of labor unions to protect the rights of workers. The Industrial Revolution had many pros and cons, but if it wasn’t for the cons, labor conditions would still be poor and the poor lifestyles would continue.

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 industrial revolution led to massive and sudden changes to the way people lived and worked. From the 1750’s onwards, large parts of the population moved from the rural regions in search of work in the growing cities. Traditional jobs, such as farm work, declined and was increasingly replaced by dangerous jobs in factories and mines. The growing population in the cities created a crowded and polluted environment. For many people living and working in these industrial cities was a harsh and dangerous existence.

Furthermore, the Industrial Revolution also had major consequences on regions that were colonized by Britain during colonial times. One major colonized region of Britain that was significantly impacted by the Industrial Revolution was India. During the Industrial Revolution, Britain was focused mainly on increasing their wealth, and one of the ways they did that was through producing more goods and products. This was negative for India as the British took much of their land through the permission of the British East India Company, and eventually used it for the production of goods, in particular cotton. Through this process, India not only lost their land to Britain, but the “production and export of Indian cotton textiles continued to fall

The industrial revolution had a significant impact upon society and the business world. This impact is keenly felt throughout Bartleby as Herman Melville tries to illustrate the strong sense of tension and dread that manifests during the industrial revolution. The source of these sensations comes from the growing influence of technology. The industrial revolution hailed a plethora of new technology all centered on business, commerce, and productivity. However, with the increasing efficiency of technology, individuals preforming the same tasks are expected to work with the same mechanical efficiency, thus sacrificing humanity within the workplace for efficiency. This aspect of dehumanizing work and tension between humanity and technology is seen throughout Bartleby.

1760, that was the day machines began to run Manchester, then the rest of the world. The shift from hand field labor to artificial labor done by machines is what we like to call the Industrial Revolution. Which is the reason why we have many of the electronics we do today. Inventors, machinist, tinkers, and engineers had the world at their fingertips. While the Industrial Revolution had may positive impacts, it had disastrous effects on all people working there and living around the factories.

Upon critical investigation of the primary document titled, “Testimony before Parliamentary Committees on Working Conditions in England,” it is clear to see that the industrial revolution in 19th century England had a direct impact on workers. England, in particular, experienced a rapid growth of the people entering into the workforce. There was many openings due to this increased need for cheap labor in the factories, mills and mines. Often times, children were used in the workforce for their small bodily features. There were also many adults that worked long hours, daily for very little money.

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

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic of the continental of Europe; it is the largest island in Europe. The kingdom of Great Britain is created from the union of Scotland and England. Britain is consider as a world power. Before world war I and world war II this country was the center of the world’s largest empire, with benefits of the colonial resources and the trade the country was growing. After the world wars Great Britain became less power.

The Industrial Revolution was a movement of new manufacturing operations and the start of the process of urbanization. With its origin in Manchester, England, the country grew to become the biggest and most powerful influence of the Industrial Revolution. Some of the main points of the revolution were an increase in factory building, a rise in alcoholism, the creation of urbanization, child labor, and new industrial machines. Manchester, England had very poor city-planning, crowded towns, and inefficient living conditions. However, England had become the most technically advanced country in Europe during this time.

The Industrial Revolution of Great Britain began in the 1780s while a French Revolution and American Revolution waged on. This Industrial Revolution transformed the economic and social life of Great Britain and after 1815 moved on to change continental Europe. The Industrial Revolution was one of great magnitude and change. Its impact was so great that only the Agricultural Revolution during the Neolithic times can be compared.

The Industrial Revolution had many positive and negative impacts on society. The positive include cheaper clothes, more job opportunities, and improvement in transportation. And the negative would include exploitation of women and children, workers work long hours and environmental damages. These are just a few that I believe had an impact on the Industrial Revolution.