Industrial Revolution Essays

Industrial Revolution Essays Industrial Revolution Essay Industrial Revolution Essay The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing and technology had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of the world. The Industrial Revolution began in the United Kingdom as large deposits of coal and iron were found throughout the land which brought the rise of factories and machines, the idea then subsequently spread throughout the world. It was perhaps one of the greatest moments in human history, as it gave rise to industrialization and the switch from manpower to machine power. It completely revolutionized the world and forever changed the course of humanity. However, many scholars and historians believe that the Industrial Revolutions benefits didnt outweigh the negative impacts it brought upon the world. I for one believe that the benefits brought upon by the Industrial Revolution Justify the negative impacts it had on the world. Without the Industrial Revolution, the world as we know it wouldnt exist. The Industrial Revolution brought about immense economic benefits not only for Great Britain but for all the countries in the world who commenced the process of ndustrialization. It led to a rapid increase in technology, which affected production rates. Since factories were creating goods with machines and little human assistance, everything was being mass produced. Machines made it possible to produce a greater quantity of goods at a faster rate so to satisfy the rules of supply and demand, the prices of goods dropped and many people were able to afford to spend money. Throughout history many have said that imperialism was a bad consequence of the Industrial Revolution, but I believe it happened to boost economic benefits. The impact of this change on society was enormous. The first Industrial Revolution, which began in the 18th century, merged into the Second Industrial Revolution around 1850, when technological and economic progress gained momentum with the development of steam-powered ships, railways, and later in the 19th century with the internal combustion engine and electrical power generation. The period of time covered by the Industrial Revolution varies with different historians. Eric Hobsbawm held that it broke out in Britain in the 1780s and was not fully felt until the 1830s or 1840s, while T. S. Ashton held that it occurred roughly between 1760 and 1830. The Industrial Revolution that occurred in the 19th century was of great importance to the economic future of the United States. Three industrial developments led the way to industrialization in America. Transportation was expanded, electricity was harnessed, and improvements were made to industrial processes. The major difference was the very definition of rural and urban; rural life was based around farming and agriculture while urban was based in cities/towns. Another important difference was that life was much cleaner in the rural areas and rural people actually had a longer ife expectancy than urban ones; the cards later switched once the revolution focused on sanitizing. In urban areas, there are more resources given to the public. Where in rural areas, most people have to go into town to get their resources. Unless much quieter than urban areas because there arent as many people who live in them as people live in urban areas. Most rural slaves had to do hard farm labor, while urban slaves were usually domestics. Rural way of life disappeared mainly because there were more Jobs voluntarily available in the big cities thus, everyone was moving away to the cities. There were major developments and inventions in agriculture, manufacture, and travel that eventually spread throughout Europe and North America. Industry and manufacturing that was once all by hand could now be done by machine. It all started with the textile industry and spread to other products. Factories were built and steam powered machinery increased the manufacture. Enormous amounts of coal had to be burned to make enough steam to power the machines. Increased products meant that more goods needed to be transported, so canals were built, and roads and railways improved. Towards the middle of the 19th entury, steam-powered ships and railways meant progress got faster. Then later in the century, electricity and the development of the internal combustion engine increased the pace at which goods were manufactured and transported. There are plenty of reasons as to why people moved from rural areas to urban areas. Better Job opportunities and salary, and Jobs in rural areas usually require a lot of physical effort, whereas most Jobs in urban areas Just involve sitting behind a desk. People in urban areas are usually payed more than people in rural areas. Also, the luxuries of the urban world attract the people of rural areas. Most rural are agriculture based. An agriculturists needs are pretty simple. They revolve mostly around domestic needs only, whereas urban areas, everything revolves around technology that makes life easier. Large masses of people moving from rural to urban areas, causes an occurrence called, urbanization. Urbanization leads to overpopulation, pollution, and various other problems. Due to urbanization, the boundaries of the urban areas expand into the rural areas. This causes forced urbanization, as people who live in the rural areas are forced into the urban area and the ways of the urban people. Lastly, the standards of living and the standards of education are higher in urban areas. This may also be one of the reasons why people move from urban to rural areas. The effects of all this rapid change on society were enormous. More and more people left the land and went to towns and cities to work in factories. The growth of the towns couldnt keep up with the number of people pouring into them, and so housing was hard to get and people lived in slums in appalling circumstances. The differences between rural to urban life were significant, and we should be very appreciative of what we have now and the history behind it.