The Industrial Revolution: Broadening Of The Middle Class

The upper class were the rich and with the advancement of new technology, became richer. Goods could be created and sold for a cheaper price in their factories. With the working class looking for work, were employed by the factory owners. The advantaged social class that had enjoyed wealth and success, had now achieved a new level of luxury.

The Industrial revolution started in Britain around 1750 and by 1850 it will make Great Britain the wealthiest country in the world. The revolution also spread to other European countries and the New World. Both Germany and United States will surpass Britain in the next fifty years. What was the effect of The Industrial Revolution on the working class?

The Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain bought about significant changes, and had varying impacts on people depending on their economic status. It was a change that spread rapidly widening the gap between the rich and the poor wherever it developed. Although the industrial revolution enhanced production, increased employment opportunities and resulted in high generation of revenues, it also negatively affected various industries given that most of the trust, conglomerate and holding companies used their influence to kill any chance of fair competition; a move that ensured they controlled their respective industries. Worse still, it increasingly degraded the lives of the middle class given that early on in the revolution; there were no specific laws or regulations to protect them. It therefore becomes evident that it is laissez- faire (a classical liberalism) that supported the historical record with regards to early industrial revolution.

The United States attracted many immigrants as it gave opportunity to farm or work in urban areas, which was appealing for people like the Irish, who experienced famine and depression in their home, many Irishmen moved to America, and population wise

The Industrial Revolution began in England around the 1780’s. It was mainly based on the cotton industry and subsequently many of the inventions that came out of this period were mainly for producing and manufacturing cotton. Another stage of the Industrial Revolution was based on inventions. This is when most of the luxury goods were produced for the public. The Industrial Revolution is seen by scholars, as noted in A History of Western Society, as basically moderate and evolutionary. Even though the Industrial Revolution was almost inevitable many people took advantage of the new developments that came about and raised their standards of living because of the goods that were previously

Child labor during the Industrial Revolution was horrid. The Industrial Revolution started in the late 18th century and ended around the mid 19th century. Although we did benefit from this industrial age, many people suffered, most notably children, because of this advancement. In today's standards, what these children went through was repulsive. It is worse to think that this kind of treatment lasted for over 100 years in some places and that it, not only just happened in one part of the world but in multiple parts of the world. One of the worst places that children had to work in were the mines. The kind of work the children in the coal mines had to do was not only dangerous but unsanitary and unhealthy as well.

Post-World War II United States was a significant period of time when the lifestyle of American people changed dramatically. Long period of economic booms brought mass suburbanization and people purchased their own home appliances, houses, and automobiles. As a matter of fact, in the background of the change of American lifestyle, there were repeated technological innovations. Successful mass productions of goods accelerated buying activities, which promoted the economic development in the United States. This was the beginning of expansion of the middle class; some people get enough money to succeed in having a happy life in the United States with family. However, when the status of family in a community was considered, proper management of money was necessary to keep their lives. Handful choices of buying goods or products with satisfaction made American Dream possible, but buying activities changed the social status of people for better or worse at the same time.

Throughout the Industrial Revolution there were more middle class members than ever before, greatly contributing in the necessity of imperialism. These people had greatly benefited financially from their well paying factory jobs and had more money than previous years. This led to the purchasing of expensive clothing, china, and other expensive products that come with a financially stable lifestyle. A majority of these extravagant products were only available outside the country, requiring new markets outside Europe’s borders. With revolutionary military technology and the ability to further improve Europe as a whole, Europe's dominant military pushed into surrounding areas. This eventually led to the development of new markets that could now

Philosophers and politicians held opinions regarding what would happen to society as times began to change during the middle of the nineteenth century. The Second Industrial Revolution proved to be beneficial for society and introduced new technological advancements into the workplace, allowing for greater efficiency in factories. Society moved forward, progressing towards a new advanced industrial and technological era. However, the increased technological advancements and the effects of the Second Industrial Revolution also seemed to increase the gap between the different European classes. The working class found it harder to retain jobs since machines could accomplish tasks more efficiently, putting thousands of people out of work. Communist

Beginning in Great Britain, the Industrial Revolution was the increase of production brought about by the use of machines, factories, and new energy sources. This soon spread to the rest of the world, and developed a new economy and new social classes. These classes included the middle class, the class who came to own the means of production during this time period; the working class, who worked in the factories; and the upper class, who generally inherited their families wealth.

The Industrial Revolution caused many changes. The three main changes that are quite noticeable are technological, social, and economic changes. Great examples of theses changes can be found within a variety of sources, but mainly coming from my history textbook. Massive technological changes in machines, energy use, and transportation (technological). It resulted in rapid urbanization, and it created different social classes (social).

The first and second industrial revolutions reconstructed the global economy. Manufacturing shifted from the simple artisan shop to the massive factory. The idea and practice of the local small business slowly faded, as the concept of corporation grew. These corporations had a simple goal: make profit, cut competition, repeat.

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

The Industrial Revolution in Europe changed Europe to this day. This began in the United Kingdom in the 1700s and expanded to Western Europe in the 1800s. During the Industrial Revolution, this provided new technology, a surplus of food, trading and different ways of producing goods for countries. The women and children in Europe had to work hard and work in the mills. They did this to give enough money for their family to live on. Politics also changed during the Industrial Revolution. Thus, the Industrial Revolution affected many people and to discover new technology and ways of thriving life.

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.