How Did The Industrial Revolution Impact Society
Introduction
The Industrial Revolution has been seen as one of the greatest events to occur in the history of modern society. The innovation of many new items that helped people perform certain duties more quickly, aimed the world to be able to create many more goods in a much shorter time period. Industrial Revolution impact on the world was that it launched the world economy into an uncontrollable situation, in which individuals had access to a much wider variety of goods and services given to them by businesses. The strike the event had on the worker’s life was not necessarily a good or bad thing. With the creation of new, more fast-paced technology, workers were able to more easily accomplish certain tasks that would been more timely …show more content…
to complete before the start of the Industrial Revolution, however there were some serious down side effects of such a quick invasion of technology. With these new practices and ideas put into the place of work, many workers were expected to be as productive as the new ways of producing a product or service, and as a result, their well-being was often overlooked. The Industrial Revolution has had effects on the entire population in almost every aspect of our lives, and will always be remembered as one of the major forces behind the way in which the modern economies of the world have been realized by developed nations.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the merchandise that was produced by …show more content…
people was all handmade and had to be constructed independently. This meant that the production of a product took much more time for construction and individuals that made the products had to be specifically trained to master that skill. Things started changing in the1800s as with the start of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. There are told to be three major changes that helped to bring about the revolution. They are: “[1] the creation of machines to do the work of hand tools; [2] the use of steam, and eventually of other kinds of force, in place of the muscles of humans and live stock; and [3]the acceptance of the factory structure,” (Hackett, 1992).
Life Changes
These three changes in the way in which people did business all played a part, in the way in which the Industrial Revolution occurred and changed people’s lives for the future. With the invention of many machines that could do the work of hand tools at a much more efficient pace, individuals no longer had to specially train to produce a particular product. Workers had to be capable of operating the equipment that was necessary for the production of the product. Associating steam power into production made it possible to achieve physical tasks that would normally have taken multiple people to complete. Again, this allowed for an individual that was not highly trained to be in control of working on a task with the aid of a powered machine that could accomplish something that the worker was physically unable to do by them. Finally, the factory system offered easier ways to manufacture products of a business. Workers were able to focus on accomplishing a simple task of the production stage, which allowed for a team of workers to cheap and efficiently turn out a high volume of that product in a relatively short timeframe. These changes drastically changed the way in which production occurred because they allowed for many unskilled workers to be able to contribute to the production of certain products and the speed of production for said products increased drastically.
England Input
The Industrial Revolution first took hold in England for several important reasons. First, the vendor class of England was extremely effective in developing trade. This trade increase raised the demand for goods in the area that helped inspire the rise of many new ways to produce goods. More Over, England homed many individuals that pushed for scientific progress in the industrial field to help aid the progression of business. These individuals were part of a rising interest in both scientific investigation and invention. By going forward with their ideas, these scientists and inventors were able to lay the foundation and create machines that speed up the use of business. Eventually, England followed the idea of the laissez-faire concept, which allowed the business world to grow freely and uninterrupted by the government for the most part. These aspects all set the early stages for the Industrial Revolution to take place and gain momentum in England first (Hackett, 1992).
With the increase in the use of modern technology in the workplace changed for the general laborer of the time period. When before a person would have to train in a specific job and know the details of working that one job, they now were used in a factory setting where they had to focus on a single, usually common task to accomplish. This meant two important things. First, a worker could be quickly hired, as they did not have to have a specific pair of skills that were necessary for a job to be performed. This meant that the possible group of individuals that could be hired for a certain job jumped up quickly as the workers needed at factories were considered to be “inexperienced.” This made it much easier for a person to find work, because this was not the only major outcome to the workforce. With numbers of potential workers being so large suddenly, those that owned and operated these new factories began to see the laborer as being unsubstantial. They were seen as easily replaced because of their lack of their skill set and were treated rather poorly.
Living Conditions
Factory owners had one major risk on their minds with regards to their operations.
They wanted to boost profits. One simple way for a company to do this was to hire cheap labor. Many factories did this by targeting women and children as they could be paid less than men without any backlash. The workers that were hired to these positions, mostly women, were subjected to some very harsh work conditions. They were subject to horrible work environments including facilities called machine shops, which were badly lit and ventilated for greater production. They were forced to work in unsafe conditions where an individual could easily be killed if they misused the equipment they used for their work. It was not unfamiliar of for the workers to be expected to work for as long as 16 hours a day under threats of being fired or even physically beaten if they did not finish their work with great pace. Even after all their effort in the workplace, it was not unheard of for a person to be paid as little as a dollar for their day’s work (Social Studies Help Center,
2001).
For all the hostility that surrounded the workplace, the means of living did see some significant improvement from the Industrial Revolution. As Frader notes, “Conditions for workers increased enough so than many women could purchase clothing and the household commodities that flooded the market by the turn of the century” (Frader, 321). This is confirmed in evidence given by economist N.F.R Crafts. The research shows that British income (compared to the 1970 U.S. dollar) rose from, “$430 in 1800, to $500 in 1830, and then jumped to $800 in 1860,” (Nardinelli). It should not come as a shock that this time period is during the initial phases of the Industrial Revolution in England. This rise in the amount of income that an ordinary family saw does not offset the mistreatment that the workers had to face during this period. This is especially true with care to the workers of the female gender that were accountable to just as much physical labor as men but saw a significantly smaller amount of pay for the work that they agreed to.
During this time period there were also different doctrines that were written about the treatment of the working class and that of the way the government should deal with the way that they were being treated. They were: The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, and Bakunin’s Anarchism documents. These documents had quite distant messages about the way the world should go about changes that were being seen as a conclusion of the Industrial Revolution. Their messages addressed to different groups and were the subject for much arguments between societies as a whole as to which path was to be followed.
Karl Marx
Marx’s work makes the argument that the struggle between the working and managing classes is inevitable and that it has been seen through the course of history over and over. As long as one class has all the power the other will be continually abused and kept from obtaining any sort of power their own. Marx believed that it was necessary for this working class to rise up and lead a revolution to take back control of the power. Only then will the system be in place where there exist no different classes or struggles and everyone can be on level footing (Blunden, A, 1848, February).
This is entirely different from the doctrine that is expressed by Bakunin. According to these views, “So long as there 's government, there won’t be peace. There will only be more or less prolonged respites, armistices concluded by the perpetually belligerent states; but as soon as a state feels sufficiently strong to destroy this equilibrium to its interest, it will never fail to do so,” (Bakunin, 1993). The proposition is to completely remove the government so that people are able to live openly. They do not need the government over their heads to quietly control and monitor their actions. Taking it away will generally allow for people to be more social, equal, and free.
Women Cruelty
Though women in the workplace were mistreated and put into unsafe positions through much of this time frame, but in some environments they were actually treated nicely and was shown the respect they deserved. One example was in the salons of Paris. “They were admitted authority in this place and it was seen as a feminine space because it challenged the traditional view that women must be submissive to men in the world. These individuals would argue for equality for all, disregarding sex and campaign for the values of civilization as a whole” (Goodman).Conclusion
There is no doubt that the Industrial Revolution was one of the most dominate time periods of human existence. It was responsible for pushing forward society into the modern economies that we still have today. The scientific advances of this time are what allowed for the large production of goods and services for society, allowing trade to be performed on a much larger scale. Also, the families saw an increase in the amount of money that they received because a unskilled worker could find work in one of the many new facilities that were opened to produce the goods necessary for the business world. Sadly the workers of the time were often taken advantage of due to their apparent lack of skill and the large numbers of workers available for the same jobs. This created an unfair working environment, more towards women, who would be treated poorly in the workplace and would receive fewer wage for the work they completed. Karl Marx campaigned for the revolution of the working class over the administration that held them back. Bakunin advocated for the abolishment of the government to get people to a natural state of friendship where the government protected its citizens from being abused in the workplace. Over the development of the Industrial Revolution the worker saw major changes, which basically lead to the economic times we have now that are improved from the past.
Works Cited
What was the effect of the industrial revolution on factory workers?. (2001). Retrieved from http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/USRA__Workers_Lives.htm
Goodman , D. (2003). The enlightenment. (1 edition ed., p. 258). Cengage Learning.
Hackett, L. (1992). Industrial revolution. Retrieved from http://history-world.org/Industrial Intro.htm
Paterson Anarchist Collective Publications. (1993). Basic Bakunin. Retrieved from http://www.spunk.org/texts/writers/bakunin/sp001862.html
Blunden, A. (1848, February ). Manifesto of the communist party. Retrieved from http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/
Nardinelli, C. (2000). Industrial revolution and the standards of living. Retrieved from http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/IndustrialRevolutionandtheStandardofLiving.html
Frader, Laura L. The Industrial Revolution: A History in Documents. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
The Industrial Revolution has been seen as one of the greatest events to occur in the history of modern society. The innovation of many new items that helped people perform certain duties more quickly, aimed the world to be able to create many more goods in a much shorter time period. Industrial Revolution impact on the world was that it launched the world economy into an uncontrollable situation, in which individuals had access to a much wider variety of goods and services given to them by businesses. The strike the event had on the worker’s life was not necessarily a good or bad thing. With the creation of new, more fast-paced technology, workers were able to more easily accomplish certain tasks that would been more timely …show more content…
to complete before the start of the Industrial Revolution, however there were some serious down side effects of such a quick invasion of technology. With these new practices and ideas put into the place of work, many workers were expected to be as productive as the new ways of producing a product or service, and as a result, their well-being was often overlooked. The Industrial Revolution has had effects on the entire population in almost every aspect of our lives, and will always be remembered as one of the major forces behind the way in which the modern economies of the world have been realized by developed nations.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the merchandise that was produced by …show more content…
people was all handmade and had to be constructed independently. This meant that the production of a product took much more time for construction and individuals that made the products had to be specifically trained to master that skill. Things started changing in the1800s as with the start of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. There are told to be three major changes that helped to bring about the revolution. They are: “[1] the creation of machines to do the work of hand tools; [2] the use of steam, and eventually of other kinds of force, in place of the muscles of humans and live stock; and [3]the acceptance of the factory structure,” (Hackett, 1992).
Life Changes
These three changes in the way in which people did business all played a part, in the way in which the Industrial Revolution occurred and changed people’s lives for the future. With the invention of many machines that could do the work of hand tools at a much more efficient pace, individuals no longer had to specially train to produce a particular product. Workers had to be capable of operating the equipment that was necessary for the production of the product. Associating steam power into production made it possible to achieve physical tasks that would normally have taken multiple people to complete. Again, this allowed for an individual that was not highly trained to be in control of working on a task with the aid of a powered machine that could accomplish something that the worker was physically unable to do by them. Finally, the factory system offered easier ways to manufacture products of a business. Workers were able to focus on accomplishing a simple task of the production stage, which allowed for a team of workers to cheap and efficiently turn out a high volume of that product in a relatively short timeframe. These changes drastically changed the way in which production occurred because they allowed for many unskilled workers to be able to contribute to the production of certain products and the speed of production for said products increased drastically.
England Input
The Industrial Revolution first took hold in England for several important reasons. First, the vendor class of England was extremely effective in developing trade. This trade increase raised the demand for goods in the area that helped inspire the rise of many new ways to produce goods. More Over, England homed many individuals that pushed for scientific progress in the industrial field to help aid the progression of business. These individuals were part of a rising interest in both scientific investigation and invention. By going forward with their ideas, these scientists and inventors were able to lay the foundation and create machines that speed up the use of business. Eventually, England followed the idea of the laissez-faire concept, which allowed the business world to grow freely and uninterrupted by the government for the most part. These aspects all set the early stages for the Industrial Revolution to take place and gain momentum in England first (Hackett, 1992).
With the increase in the use of modern technology in the workplace changed for the general laborer of the time period. When before a person would have to train in a specific job and know the details of working that one job, they now were used in a factory setting where they had to focus on a single, usually common task to accomplish. This meant two important things. First, a worker could be quickly hired, as they did not have to have a specific pair of skills that were necessary for a job to be performed. This meant that the possible group of individuals that could be hired for a certain job jumped up quickly as the workers needed at factories were considered to be “inexperienced.” This made it much easier for a person to find work, because this was not the only major outcome to the workforce. With numbers of potential workers being so large suddenly, those that owned and operated these new factories began to see the laborer as being unsubstantial. They were seen as easily replaced because of their lack of their skill set and were treated rather poorly.
Living Conditions
Factory owners had one major risk on their minds with regards to their operations.
They wanted to boost profits. One simple way for a company to do this was to hire cheap labor. Many factories did this by targeting women and children as they could be paid less than men without any backlash. The workers that were hired to these positions, mostly women, were subjected to some very harsh work conditions. They were subject to horrible work environments including facilities called machine shops, which were badly lit and ventilated for greater production. They were forced to work in unsafe conditions where an individual could easily be killed if they misused the equipment they used for their work. It was not unfamiliar of for the workers to be expected to work for as long as 16 hours a day under threats of being fired or even physically beaten if they did not finish their work with great pace. Even after all their effort in the workplace, it was not unheard of for a person to be paid as little as a dollar for their day’s work (Social Studies Help Center,
2001).
For all the hostility that surrounded the workplace, the means of living did see some significant improvement from the Industrial Revolution. As Frader notes, “Conditions for workers increased enough so than many women could purchase clothing and the household commodities that flooded the market by the turn of the century” (Frader, 321). This is confirmed in evidence given by economist N.F.R Crafts. The research shows that British income (compared to the 1970 U.S. dollar) rose from, “$430 in 1800, to $500 in 1830, and then jumped to $800 in 1860,” (Nardinelli). It should not come as a shock that this time period is during the initial phases of the Industrial Revolution in England. This rise in the amount of income that an ordinary family saw does not offset the mistreatment that the workers had to face during this period. This is especially true with care to the workers of the female gender that were accountable to just as much physical labor as men but saw a significantly smaller amount of pay for the work that they agreed to.
During this time period there were also different doctrines that were written about the treatment of the working class and that of the way the government should deal with the way that they were being treated. They were: The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, and Bakunin’s Anarchism documents. These documents had quite distant messages about the way the world should go about changes that were being seen as a conclusion of the Industrial Revolution. Their messages addressed to different groups and were the subject for much arguments between societies as a whole as to which path was to be followed.
Karl Marx
Marx’s work makes the argument that the struggle between the working and managing classes is inevitable and that it has been seen through the course of history over and over. As long as one class has all the power the other will be continually abused and kept from obtaining any sort of power their own. Marx believed that it was necessary for this working class to rise up and lead a revolution to take back control of the power. Only then will the system be in place where there exist no different classes or struggles and everyone can be on level footing (Blunden, A, 1848, February).
This is entirely different from the doctrine that is expressed by Bakunin. According to these views, “So long as there 's government, there won’t be peace. There will only be more or less prolonged respites, armistices concluded by the perpetually belligerent states; but as soon as a state feels sufficiently strong to destroy this equilibrium to its interest, it will never fail to do so,” (Bakunin, 1993). The proposition is to completely remove the government so that people are able to live openly. They do not need the government over their heads to quietly control and monitor their actions. Taking it away will generally allow for people to be more social, equal, and free.
Women Cruelty
Though women in the workplace were mistreated and put into unsafe positions through much of this time frame, but in some environments they were actually treated nicely and was shown the respect they deserved. One example was in the salons of Paris. “They were admitted authority in this place and it was seen as a feminine space because it challenged the traditional view that women must be submissive to men in the world. These individuals would argue for equality for all, disregarding sex and campaign for the values of civilization as a whole” (Goodman).Conclusion
There is no doubt that the Industrial Revolution was one of the most dominate time periods of human existence. It was responsible for pushing forward society into the modern economies that we still have today. The scientific advances of this time are what allowed for the large production of goods and services for society, allowing trade to be performed on a much larger scale. Also, the families saw an increase in the amount of money that they received because a unskilled worker could find work in one of the many new facilities that were opened to produce the goods necessary for the business world. Sadly the workers of the time were often taken advantage of due to their apparent lack of skill and the large numbers of workers available for the same jobs. This created an unfair working environment, more towards women, who would be treated poorly in the workplace and would receive fewer wage for the work they completed. Karl Marx campaigned for the revolution of the working class over the administration that held them back. Bakunin advocated for the abolishment of the government to get people to a natural state of friendship where the government protected its citizens from being abused in the workplace. Over the development of the Industrial Revolution the worker saw major changes, which basically lead to the economic times we have now that are improved from the past.
Works Cited
What was the effect of the industrial revolution on factory workers?. (2001). Retrieved from http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/USRA__Workers_Lives.htm
Goodman , D. (2003). The enlightenment. (1 edition ed., p. 258). Cengage Learning.
Hackett, L. (1992). Industrial revolution. Retrieved from http://history-world.org/Industrial Intro.htm
Paterson Anarchist Collective Publications. (1993). Basic Bakunin. Retrieved from http://www.spunk.org/texts/writers/bakunin/sp001862.html
Blunden, A. (1848, February ). Manifesto of the communist party. Retrieved from http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/
Nardinelli, C. (2000). Industrial revolution and the standards of living. Retrieved from http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/IndustrialRevolutionandtheStandardofLiving.html
Frader, Laura L. The Industrial Revolution: A History in Documents. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.