Essay Summary of Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution: Effects The Industrial Revolution started in England around 1733 with the first cotton mill. A more modern world had begun. As new inventions were being created, factories followed soon after. However, the Industrial Revolution brought severe consequences to society. The factory owners needed cheap, unskilled labor, so they profited greatly by using children and women to run the machines. By the age of 6, many children were already working 14 hours a day in factories! These kids had no free time to do anything else and earned low wages.
Some got sick and died because of the toxic fumes, while others were severely injured and sometimes killed working at the dangerous machines in factories. Obviously, the Industrial Revolution had both good and bad sides. So what were the effects of the Industrial Revolution? Although the Industrial Revolution was very beneficial for England’s economy, many workers worked in tough conditions and ruined the environment. Looking at the Industrial Revolution overall, it was great for the economy. It provided comforts and conveniences that did not exist centuries ago, and were used by all man.
The houses were built better, clothes were cheaper, and utensils were infinite. You could also travel cheaper at a quicker and cheaper expense (Document 4). This greatly benefited the economy in England and definitely made life much easier for people. Secondly, British Iron Production fluctuated tremendously because of the Industrial Revolution from 1740-1900. For example, in 1740, the production of iron was about 17,350 tons. However in 1900, the iron production was 9,000,000 tons (Document 8).

This is a significant increase for such a useful and important resource in everyday life. The Industrial Revolution created newer, faster methods of production and jobs were offered to all groups of people. It also made life easier with the advances in everyday resources. Although the Industrial Revolution was great for England’s economy, it had many negative effects. During the Industrial Revolution, the working conditions were extremely rough. Children were working starting at age ten, they would work up to sixteen hours per day with one, forty minute break.
The workers were also frequently strapped, they had no time to attend school, and most couldn’t even write (Document 1). Also, many people would get hurt working in the factories. They would get caught in the machines, and suffer from infections, and some would even die (Document 2). What hard working conditions the Industrial Revolution had. While the Industrial Revolution meant that more goods could be produced for human use, it also meant that more pollution would be emitted into the sky and more natural resources would have to be used in the production process.
Industrialization resulted in pollution of water, air, soil, and caused harmful waste. All of these problems caused significant threats to both the environment and to human life. During these times, the cities were full of grime, rivers were even black, and their were terrible living conditions. (Document 7). What negative effects the Industrial Revolution had on England. The Industrial Revolution had a negative impact on England and its citizens, but it still had some positives. Although the revolution was creating jobs and capital, I believe there are more negatives then positives.
The negative effects of the Industrial Revolution greatly harmed England’s resources for upcoming generations. The revolution caused overcrowding, and damaged the environment greatly. The environment was also being effected greatly. Pollution was increasing rapidly in most natural environments (Document 7). Furthermore, their was harsh discipline of the workers, working hours were long and harsh, peoples life p decreased, and wages were very low. Child labor was also common. For example, children were often forced to climb into a broken machine to fix it, because of their small size.
This was extremely dangerous to many of the young kids (Document 1 &2). Although the revolution is viewed as a great thing by many, I view it as a negative impact on England. The Industrial Revolution left a permanent mark on society, both positively and negatively. It greatly affected the way people lived and worked. It caused the world to face many social consequences and economic changes that still effect us today. However, this revolution helped to bring about the modern world we know today in many ways.