Industrial Revolution
and Its Effects
Changes in Britain were a catalyst that influenced the development of the Industrial Revolution. These advances allowed for an increased product output, a change in social classes, and even more revolutions. Even though some of these changes date back into the late seventeen hundreds, we still see their effects on our lives today.
The roots of the Industrial Revolution started in Britain. Britain had an abundance of resources, such as iron and coal. The abundance of coal helped accelerate the steam engine revolution. The steam engine revolution allowed for the transportation of raw materials to factories and finished products to consumers.
The Industrial Revolution also led to revolutions in:
Although these changes started in Britain, they quickly spread across continental Europe. Before the Industrial Revolution, individuals or family made a lot of goods. Emerging factories caused people to work where they could make their goods faster.
Entire families would move into the cities to work in the factories. Factory owners were prone to hire woman and children. Woman and children have small fingers that could weave and work machinery better. There were few safety regulations in early factories. Many machines were new and posed a danger to workers with loose hair. Workers were also fatigued from their long hours. The working conditions were very poor, and the air was thick with smoke and airborne fabric particles.
Before the Industrial Revolution, the market thrived on skilled artisans. After the development of factories, artisans became deskilled. They worked on assembly lines and had to adjust to the factory. The factories allowed for a rise in the middle class of factory managers; however, factory workers experienced low raises.
The Industrial Revolution greatly accelerated the speed of urbanization. Without it, many people would still work as individual artisans rather than for large companies. Modern factories still employ practices that started during the Industrial Revolution, such as assembly lines and machinery. Overall, the Industrial Revolution greatly impacted the development of machinery, products, and working conditions through many countries.
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Hackett, Lewis. "Industrialization: The First Phase." Industrial Revolution. International World History Project, 1 Jan. 1992. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.
Schultz, Harold. "Mid-Victorianism: 1841-1865." British History. 4th ed. New York City: HarperPerennial, 1992. 253-269. Print.