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The Effects of the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was absolutely beneficial to the progress of the
world from the 1800s all the way to present day. Sacrifices were made which
allowed technological advancements during the Industrial Revolution, which in
turn, created happiness, life opportunities, and an over-all, definite
amelioration of life.
At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, many hardships had to be
overcome, causing great grief to most of the population. Faith was lost, patience
was tried, and a blanket of oppression covered the people of Europe. When new
inventions arose to facilitate the producing and mass-producing of goods that
supplied the people of Europe, nearly everyone was forced to begin a new career
within a factory. These are just some of the hardships that many loyal,
hardworking citizens were faced with. The reverberations of these new
inventions caused a dramatic plummet of the life expectancy of an average
citizen to an alarming 15 years of age. Women and children were expected to
work up to 16 hours a day and doing labor that could cause serious injury, like
carrying extremely heavy loads. For their work, they were paid ridiculous
wages, women around 5 shillings per week, and children about 1. One can easily
recognize the negative aspects of such a dramatic event. However, if one
"steps back" to view the revolution as a whole, he will notice that
the positive aspects completely outweigh the negative aspects.
The job opportunities and price decrease definitely improved the lives of the
people, giving them a chance to be a part of the society and be able to
purchase products at a price that wasn't too bad.
Many lives changed outside work. There were many national benefits of this
revolution. One very important thing was that there became many more goods
available because of the mass-production. Due to this mass-producing, the goods
also dropped in price, which considerably benefited those who were financially
struggling. Along with the mass-producing came more employment opportunities,
which allowed some of the less fortunate people to have a chance of getting a
job. The increase of new ideas and inventions led to an increase of the quality
of life. Medicinal products became more plentiful, transportation improved, and
free education was available. People began to find themselves with more leisure
time. Wages were increased, health benefits became available, and eventually,
pension became available to those who retired. These are just some of the many
aspects of the revolution that benefited the people as a nation, which made
them happier, and made the government safer from rebellion.
There is still one more aspect of this revolution and that is the effects of it
on present day. Without the inventions and changes that took place to form a
more ideal society, we wouldn't be where we are today. Without labor laws and
health benefits, the life expectancy of a human would drop at least 20 years.
Our lives would not be integrated with the technology that helps us learn and
grow such as computers, cars, and airplanes. Without the growth of
industrialization, there would not be the need for any of these inventions, and
we would all still be working on a farm. Some would say that they would rather
live on a farm, but many can easily see how much better our lives are with the
effects of the industrialization.
Let us "step back" and view the revolution as a whole now. In the
beginning, people struggled and suffered, and this happens with all change and
progress; people sacrifice. As time passed, people gained more benefits, and
their lives became better. Work became much less tedious, and many people found
themselves with more extra time. Finally there is the modern day and the
future. Technology and industry has dominated our world, improving it to a
point that would have been unimaginable one hundred years ago, and with the
help of the people, the sacrificing and the hardships, progress continues.