Was the industrial Revolution a good thing?
Was the industrial Revolution a good thing? The Industrial Revolution was a series of many changes that took place in Great Britain from 1750 to 1900. There is much controversy as to whether the changes were for better or for worse and to whether the Industrial Revolution was a good thing or a bad thing. Some people say that it improved peoples' lives, and that technology and entertainment got better. They say that Britain was made a great, rich and powerful country. Others disagree and say that it was a bad thing and that during the Industrial Revolution there were terrible working and living conditions and many people suffered because of the changes that took place. They also say that it caused a lot of pollution and that it changed many people's lifestyles for the worse. In this essay I will investigate the bad and then the good things that happened to people's lives in Britain between 1750 and 1900 and then make up my own mind as to whether the Industrial Revolution was a good thing or not. In the early 1700's a lot of people worked on the land. Nearly all of the people that didn't work on the farms worked in their homes, spinning or weaving. Most families spun and wove in the same room as they did all of their domestic chores. This room was usually quite full, with the children, adults and even the elderly all helping to produce wool and cloth. This was a good idea,
Evaluation of the industrial revolution
In order for the industrial revolution to occur, manufacturers needed raw materials such as cotton, produced by slave labour on the plantations of the southern US. American cotton was crucial to the growth of the British & American textile industries. Slaves working on an American cotton plantation in the early 1850s, produces the raw material of early industrialization. Even though the British abolished the slave trade in 1807, and the US forbade Southern planters to trade in slaves the same year, slavery persisted for another 56 years. Once the Civil War ended, slavery & the plantation system collapsed in the US, and British manufacturers turned to Egypt & India for raw materials, thus expanding the global reach of the industrial economy. Cotton grown by slaves in the American South fueled industrial revolution. In US, beginning in the last decade of the 18th C, textile factories sprang up along rivers throughout New England. The industrial revolution that began in England and spread to the US and continental Europe by the 1840s and 1850s had tremendous effects around the world. Although Europe, western E, and the US were the fist major areas to experience IDs, by the end of the 19th C, other countries—notably Russia, Japan, and Sweden, among others—joined in. For the captains of industry produced gods in order to sell, trade or barter them, and their commercial
The Cause of the Industrial Revolution
ASSIGNMENT 1 The Cause of the Industrial Revolution In discussing the main developments of the Industrial Revolution, we must first look at the Agricultural Revolution and the effects of enclosure as writes Peter Mathias a secondary source, "to be given identity, the concept (the Industrial Revolution) implies the onset of a fundamental change in the structure of an economy; a fundamental redeployment of resources away from agriculture" (Peter Mathias (1969,p2) The First Industrial Nation). The agricultural revolution was the precursor to the industrial revolution and began around 1650, with parliamentary enclosure acts dominating the period 1750 - 1830. Enclosure changed agriculture from an open field system, whereby the villagers would each farm on a strip of land to provide for their own requirements to a system of private land management of enclosed fields and individual landowners took over control of the land. The community no longer had communal rights to the land and had to look to the large landowner for their living. Enclosing the land brought benefits to agricultural productivity from new crop rotation and heavy manuring, but for the peasant farmers they were displaced of their land and forced to find work elsewhere. Farming became less labour intensive and the large farms contributed to a rural labour surplus. The Agricultural Revolution created wealthy
The Social Effects of the Industrial Revolution
Vu Tran-Nguyen C03, Katie Payerle Final Paper: [MMW5 - WIN04] 3/11/04 The Social Effects of the Industrial Revolution During the period of 1760-1850, Great Britain experienced a phenomenon that earned it the title "the workshop of the world" (Ward 22). It was an incident characterized by the rise of machine-powered factories, technological advances, an increase in population with a decline of agricultural population, and the expansion of trade. These are the characteristics of the Industrial Revolution, defined by Arnold Toynbee to be the "substitution of competition for the medieval regulation" (Toynbee 1, 58). Adam Smith envisioned it to be an economy free of government interference, driven by forces of competition and the nature of human greed. Smith's ideas were published in the book The Wealth of Nations, and these ideas manifested to produce the characteristics seen by the Industrial Revolution. Therefore, it is implied, if not apparent, that one of the causes that led to the rise of the Industrial Revolution of 1760-1850 was the manifestation of the ideas Smith put forth to achieve wealth and productivity for a nation. The process of industrialization, however, resulted social effects that concern the standard of living of the working class. Opponents to the Industrial Revolution, dubbed "pessimists" (Doty 5), feel that "the effects of the Industrial
Major technological innovations changed the social and economic conditions. Explain with reference to the Agrarian and Industrial Revolution.
Essay for social studies: Theme: Major technological innovations changed the social and economic conditions. Explain with reference to the Agrarian and Industrial Revolution Technology is the development of tools and techniques to help living; innovations are the new methods or ideas for doing things. The word revolution means an event that involves great change So this essay will be about the major changes in living that affected both the social, dealing with people's relationships, and economic which is money and the production of goods. The first great change started in 1750, the Agrarian Revolution had originated in Britain and changed the way that farming was carried out. Before then the methods of farming was very primitive and time consuming. Production weren't enough to meet the needs of a growing population so changes had to be made. In1931 a man named Jethro Tull invented a seed drill, a machine that scatters seeds evenly and prevented wastage. This invention sparked a train of new ideas to improve farming. Other inventions included a crop rotation system that was used to restore fertility of the soil and improve its quality. Robert Bakwell selectively breed stock to make the animals bigger and better. Arthur Young started a farming journal and in 1831 a machine was invented that could cut and bind what. All these changes meant more, better quality goods being
Changes Made By The Industrial Revolution.
Changes Made By The Industrial Revolution In mid 18th century Britain, 7 million people lived in small rural villages. Farming was the main occupation for workers at this time. Apart from London there were no cities and no factories. Woollen cloth, coal mining and iron were main industries. The years between 1750 - 1850 are known as the First Industrial Revolution. In this period of time, the population of Britain trebled to 21 million people. In 1850 coal mining, iron and steel, cotton, wool and shipbuilding were now the most important industries. Between 1850 - 1880, Britain was the world's leading industrial country, sometimes called 'The Workshop Of The World'. By 1880 USA, and Germany began to challenge Britain and with the industry still growing, now producing cars, bicycles, electrical engineering and chemicals, this was now called The Second Industrial Revolution. In the early 18th century woollen cloth was the most important industry in Britain. But because the population grew so rapidly the demand for cloth was more. The domestic system could not cope with this demand and therefore lost its place to the cotton textile industry. Old looms were replaced by new machines, which were much faster and more reliable. Richard Arkwright's water frame made a huge change in the industry. From now on spinning was to be done at mills (factories) built by the sides of fast
How were the evils of the Industrial Revolution addressed in England? Evaluate the positive and negative effects of the industrial revolution?
How were the evils of the Industrial Revolution addressed in England? Evaluate the positive and negative effects of the industrial revolution? The Industrial Revolution was a stage in history, which lasted from 1800-1850. During this era, mass production flourished and capitalists began to gain power. This altered the agricultural and political landscape and brought about both many advantages and some important disadvantages to the public of England. However, the key factor to acknowledge is how the evils of the Industrial Revolution were addressed. To begin with, capitalists had deprived workers from expressing their views. As stated from an excerpt found in the Combination Act in 1800 (Document 1), "every workman...who shall...enter into any combination (union) to obtain an advance in wages or lessen or alter the hours...any workman...to quit or leave his work shall be committed to...jail..." This quote exhibits that the formation of unions amongst workers, were undermined. In addition, many children were obliged to work in factories for copious amounts of time in a day. The working conditions for the labour force of England were dismal. This led to the government imposing some laws, in order to address the disadvantages brought by the Industrial Revolution. These laws restricted the working hours and stressed on the required minimum age of workers. From 'Document 2',
The Industrial Revolution.
Brad Crane February 21, 2003 Western Civilization Dr. Kenyon IV. The Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution in Europe was actually sparked by the "agricultural revolution." Due to the introduction of new crops and changes in other agricultural practices, the agricultural business began to grow (Textbook pg 633). When landlords noticed this growth they began to make the most use of their land in order to make a bigger profit. One way in which they did this was to "enclose" the common lands. The enclosure movements occured when the landlords kicked farmers off of common land in order to raise sheep and cattle there (Textbook pg 633). When this took place, many farmers were left without jobs. Most of these farmers sought out work in the countryside as spinnters, knitters, and weavers (Textbook pg 634). This lead to the "putting-out system." The putting-out system took place when entrepreneurs "put out" raw materials that the individual workers, mostly farmers that were kicked off of the common lands, finished by weaving and spinning (Textbook pg 634). This in home labor helped many of the farmers out by giving them a second job to fall back on when the lands that they would normally be farming were out of season. Another reason that many people were getting into the business of cloth and other finished products was the rise in overseas trade. The rise in
Health and Education during the Industrial Revolution
HEALTH AND EDUCATION DURING THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION NAMAN SHAH VIII- C HEALTH The Industrial Revolution was the period of time from 1750 to 1900 where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions in the United Kingdom. The onset of the Industrial Revolution marked a major turning point in human history; almost every aspect of daily life was eventually influenced in some way or the other. In 1750 the population of Britain was about 11 million at a time when it was not known that germs caused disease, and diseases like smallpox and diphtheria killed masses of people. The conditions were horrible and health and sanity was not up to the mark. The annual death rate was 28 deaths per thousand people according to, "Rediscovering Britain 1750-1900", and many babies died before their first birthday. Even some simple operations could not be done as anaesthesia was not yet developed. As more people died, doctors and scientists needed to come up with solutions, to end this problem. Dan Cruickshank of BBC said, "The Industrial Revolution made Britain rich but it also made them sick!" Forty years after the beginning of the Industrial Revolution British scientist Edward Jenner was the first man ever to develop a smallpox vaccine. This was Britain's first success in the field of medicine. Many
Child Labour & The Industrial Revolution
Child Labour & The Industrial Revolution During the 1800s the Industrial Revolution spread throughout Britain. The use of steam-powered machines, led to a massive increase in the number of factories (particularly in textile factories or mills). From Country to Town As the number of factories grew people from the countryside began to move into the towns looking for better paid work. The wages of a farm worker were very low and there were less jobs working on farms because of new machines. Thousands of new workers were needed to work machines in mills and foundries and the factory owners built houses for them. At the start of the 19th Century about 1/5 of Britain's population lived there, but by 1851 half the population of the country had set up home in London. People crowded into already crowded houses. Rooms were rented to whole families or perhaps several families. If there were no rooms to rent, people stayed in lodging houses. Housing The worker's houses were usually near to the factories so that people could walk to work. They were built really quickly and cheaply. The houses were cheap, most had between 2-4 rooms - one or two rooms downstairs, and one or two rooms upstairs. Victorian families were big with 4 or 5 children. There was no running water or toilet. A whole street would have to share an outdoor pump and a couple of outside toilets. Most houses in the
