Industrial Revolution Essay
Industrial Revolution Essay
Industrial Revolution Essay
The Industrial Revolution began over 200 years ago. It changed the
way in which many products, including cloth and textiles, were
manufactured. It is called a "revolution" beacuse the changes it caused
were great and sudden. It greatly affected the way people lived and
worked. This revolution helped to bring about the modern world we
know today in many ways.
The Industrial Revolution was a major change in the nature of
production in which machines replaced tools and steam and other
energy sources replaced human or animal power. The Industrial
Revolution began in England in the middle 1700s. During the Industrial
Revoltuion, workers became more productive, items were
manufactured, prices dropped, making hard to make items available to
the working and middle class and not only the wealthy. Life generally
improved, but the Industrial Revolution was also harmful. Pollution
increased, working conditions were harmful, and capitalists employed
women and young children, making them work long hours for low
wages.
Besides the postive effects, the Industrial Revolution also had negative
effects. Because of urbanization, many cities, whose infrastructure
system could not keep up with the rapid population growth, were
overcrowded with people looking for jobs. England's cities lacked
decent housing, sanitary codes, education, and police protection. Many
workers of the working class lived in small, dirty shelters where
sickness was widespread. With the introduction of steam, factory
conditons became worse. Machines injured workers. Many factory
owners wanted to get the cheapest labor possible. To do this, factory
owners hired workers, mostly women and children because the were
the cheapest labor, so they could work long hours for low wages. As
the working class saw little improvements in living and working
conditions, the middle class, made up of skilled workers, professionals,
factory owners, and other well do to people, saw improvements in their
lives. The middle class was now able to afford things that the wealthy
only had acess to, such as servants.