The Industrial Revolution began around 1800 when key inventions such as the steam engine, cotton gin, and assembly line became widespread. It ushered in an age in which production moved away from artisan craftsmanship traditions toward central production factories.
But, how did it impact people? That depends entirely on whom you ask.
The Boon
At the height of the Industrial Revolution, people no longer relied solely on nature for sustenance. Gone were days of weather-driven crop failures and being at the mercy of nature for sustenance; instead farmers and industrial workers could produce enough food, clothing and goods to keep all citizens fed without worrying about weather or climate impacts or crop failures. With their newfound powers came an increased sense of independence from nature's influence.
This period of great change also brought technological innovations, such as cotton mills and steam engines. These developments facilitated factory growth and altered how society operated; for instance, factory production caused many people to move from rural areas into towns and cities while railways made transport easier for goods and people alike. Furthermore, printing presses enabled information dissemination, education dissemination as well as newspaper and periodical publication - hallmarks of industrial progressivism!
Many see the Industrial Revolution as a tragic period in our history; Toynbee described it as "an unprecedented period of disaster since our nation was founded."
Historians remain divided as to when and how the Industrial Revolution started and ended. Some experts, including historians Deane and Cole, suggest it began around 1740; business historian Charles Wilson dates it as far back as 1660s.
The Industrial Revolution remains highly contentious because of the profound effect it had on lives. Without effective safety regulations in place, factories could be extremely hazardous environments - according to University of Alberta history professor Beverly Lemire's account of child labor; she notes how children often had to endure long hours under dangerous working conditions.
Regarding women, the industrial revolution set into motion discriminatory patterns that persisted into later eras. According to Laura L. Frader's The Industrial Revolution: A History in Documents, Laura describes how women earned only half as much pay per task as men for similar work and often worked for "pin money," given by their husbands for personal expenses like makeup or clothes.
The Bane
The Industrial Revolution was an unprecedented period of significant transformation that revolutionized global business, economics and society. Marked by rapid advances in technology - particularly manufacturing - it marked a transition away from an agrarian model toward manufacturing production methods, lowering production costs while increasing efficiency while simultaneously diminishing land ownership's importance as wealth accumulation tool. Mass production enabled people to purchase necessities at discounted prices as well as creating employment opportunities worldwide.
People began moving from rural areas into towns and cities in search of work. This spurred urbanization, leading to large cities being formed. Railroads were then constructed, making travel across long distances easier, opening markets all around the globe.
But with these changes came significant hardship for many individuals, who suffered poor living conditions and lost their traditional jobs due to changing business patterns. Workers exposed themselves to dangerous chemicals used in factories and coal mines, leading them to live shorter lives while experiencing health complications that shortened their lifespans and caused health complications.
Workers also fought for better wages and conditions, forming trade unions to protect their rights and even some instances where workers fought back against their employers such as Bane's sacrifice of an imprisoned prisoner he captured during his escape from Santa Prisca to exact revenge against Jones and his men.
However, the Industrial Revolution had many beneficial results for society as a whole. Notably, it contributed to creating a middle class which took away some of the wealth previously held exclusively by aristocrats and produced labor-saving machines and other innovations that enhanced people's quality of life.
Unfortunately, the Industrial Revolution also had devastating side-effects. Pollution from factories and coal mines was particularly severe and caused respiratory illness; combustion of fossil fuels like coal released carbon into the air that contributed to global warming and other climate changes; as well as widespread use of child and female laborers as cheaper labor options than male workers in factories and mines.
The Middle Class
As part of the Industrial Revolution, new middle classes emerged across many locations - particularly urban societies. Thanks to factories and mass production technologies enabling greater economic output, goods previously hand crafted or produced piecemeal by artisans became mass produced; household items like soap, butter and textiles began being mass-produced; consumers could afford these new goods more readily than ever.
This economic explosion brought with it a dramatic transformation of lifestyle. Before industrialization, most families functioned both economically and socially as one unit; they worked on family farms or rural shops together sharing tasks like mending clothes, spinning thread and weaving thread, as well as working piecework-style in textile mills. With industrialization came rapid change to most people's lifestyles.
With the development of factory systems, however, work shifted back into cities where business owners were better able to hire and fire workers and control costs more easily. Industrialists who owned factories became known as capitalists; their system promoted innovation while increasing productivity through division of labor into raw material production, manufacturing, marketing and consolidation of ownership of companies as well as grant of patents for inventors.
These changes had a ripple effect that extended far beyond factory workers; middle and upper class citizens saw their living standards improve considerably as industrialization provided more money to purchase fine foods, clothing, furniture, building bigger houses, museums, libraries as well as an increase in leisure time to attend concerts or plays; they even gained access to education, which opened up knowledge to all.
Middle Class people gained both wealth and political and social status during this period. The bourgeoisie constructed, operated, owned and managed early factories; started up and ran commercial enterprises such as shipping lines and stores; founded banks; and held prominent occupations like ministering, law or medicine as well as university teaching.
Industrialization brought unprecedented prosperity to humanity and raised living standards beyond any previously experienced. Yet many critics worried that personal freedom and independence might be replaced with boredom, monotony, and toil - fear that was captured in movies like Fritz Lang's classic sci-fi film Metropolis or Charlie Chaplin's assembly line comedy Modern Times.
The End
Although the Industrial Revolution greatly increased material standards, it also created greater inequities among society as a whole. A working class movement emerged and workers sought to improve wages, working conditions and living standards through labor unions and worker-controlled corporations; such efforts fought factory owner control while creating laws to protect workers.
As cities grew, people moved away from rural areas in search of manufacturing jobs in factories. Textile production was an especially strong driver of migration as skilled workers were needed to operate machinery that produced cloth - mechanical looms and spinning jenny machines were quickly replacing hand-woven looms used by craftsman shops as sources of production.
Revolution was enabled by the invention of steam engines and railroads, which made transportation of goods over long distances easier. Railroads could carry 20 times the cargo of canal boats while reaching their destinations eight times quicker; as a result, prices for consumer goods and raw materials declined considerably.
As the Industrial Revolution continued, banks and industrial financiers emerged to help companies grow and expand. Inventors like Samuel Morse created telegraphy for improved communication speed and efficiency; manufacturers could produce more products at reduced costs using machines; these could then be sold more widely to consumers.
By the late 18th century, Britain had emerged as a powerful industrial nation with a booming economy and a vast empire covering one-quarter of all landmass on Earth. Other nations soon followed suit and overtook Britain in industrial development; such as Germany, America and Japan who all became industrial powerhouses that exported manufactured products worldwide.
At this time, the newly emerging middle class developed an appetite for mass-produced consumer goods, prompting retailers to open more stores and sell more items - including department stores that offered variety.
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