What Was the Industrial Revolution?

The Industrial Revolution was a period of major mechanization and innovation that began in Great Britain during the mid-18th and early 19th centuries and later spread throughout much of the world. ⛦The British Industrial Revolution was dominated by the exploitation of coal and iron.

The American Industrial Revolution, sometimes referred to as the “Second Industrial Revolution,” began during the Gilded Age in the 1870s and continued through World War II. Th🌞e era saw the mechanization of agriculture and manufacturing and the introduction of new modes of transportation, including stea𒁃mships, the automobile, and airplanes.

How Did the ꩵIndustrial Revolution Impact Society?

Although the Industrial Revolution began more than 200 years ago, it is a period that left a profound impact on how people lived and the way businesses operated. Ar♚guably, the factory systems developed during the Industrial Revolution are responsible for creating capitalism and the modern cities of today.

Before this period, most households subsisted on farming and lived primarily in small, rural communities. With the advent of factories during the 18th century, people began working for companies located in urban areas for the first time. Often the wages were low and conditions harsh. However, working for such businesses still paid a better living wage than farming.

Production efficiency improved during the Industrial Revolution with 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:inventions such as the steam engine, which dramatically reduced the time it took to manufacture products. More efficient production subsequently reduced prices for products, primarily due to lower labor costs, opening the marketing doors to a new level of customers.

The Industrial Revolution developed in conjunction with capitalist economies. Business owners (capitalists) began to organize labor centrally into factories and introduced a division of labor to increase output and profitability. Compared with the craft and guild systems that preceded it, capitalist production incen♕tivized technological change and innovation at an unprecedented rate.

What Were the Effects of the Industrial ꦺRevolution on Ta🎃riffs?

The Industrial Revolution was not always organic or directed by free market forces alone. The United States government, for instance, helped domestic industry at the time by instituting tariffs—taxes on foreign imported goods—so that products such as steel were cheaper than foreign imports. Cheaper steel prices encouraged the development of 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:infrastructure, such as railroads and bridges, during the American Industrial Revolution.

Advantages of Industrialization

The Industrial Revolution created an increase in employment opportunities. Wages at factories were higher than those earned as farmers. As factories became widespread, additional 🦩managers and employees were required to operate them, increasing the supply of jobs and overall wages.

As most factories and large companies were located near cities, populations migrated to urban areas searching for jobs, often overwhelming the available housing supply.

This led to significant improvements in city planning. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Increased innovation dis💖rupted the status quo, bringing new technologies to the masses and leading to higher leve🅷ls of education. Such ground♊breaking inventions, still used today, include the sewing machine, X-ray, lightbulb, calculator, and anesthesia.

Due to the Industrial Revolution's advancements, the world saw the first combustion engine, the incandescent light bulb, and the modern assembly line used in manufacturing.

The Industrial Revolution changed how people worked and the technologies available to them, which affected where they lived. It made life comfortable for many, though living conditions for workers remained abhorrent, which eventually fueled the rise of 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:labor unions. This led to improved working conditions and fair wages.

Disadvantages of Industrialization

Although there were numerous advancements during the Industrial Revolution, rapid progress caused many problems. As workers left their farms to work in factories for higher wages, it led to a shortage of food production.

The sharp increase in the number of factories caused an increase in urban pollution. Pollution wasn't contained only in the factories; as people flocked to the cities, living conditions became deplorable as the urban resources were overwhelmed.

Sewage flowed in the streets in some cities, and manufacturers dumped waste from factories into rivers. Water supplies were not tested and protected, which eventually led to regulations and laws being enacted.

The Industrial Revolution provided an incentive to increase profits, and as a result, working conditions in factories deteriorated. Long hours, inadequate remuneration, and minimal breaks became the norm. Child labor was a significant issue. Health issues arose for many of the factory workers, giving rise to the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:labor movement throughout the U.S.

What☂ Key🅰 Innovations Took Place During the Industrial Revolution?

The first cotton mill was built after Samuel Slater brought Britain's manufacturing technology to the United States. The mill was powered by water, bringing jobs and commerce to the Northeast. In the following years, many factories and mills were built using the same technologies.

In 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed. This was a major accomplishment for the U.S., as i❀t allowed the transportati🃏on of goods, people, and raw materials nationwide.

Also, during the American Industrial Revolution, Samuel Morse created the telegraph, which sent electric signals over a wire, allowing the nation to communicate. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Andrew Carnegie built the first steel mills in the U.S., Thomas Alva Edison created the lightbulb and the phonograph, and Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.

Philo Farnsworth developed the television in 1928, though it didn’t establish itself as a popular entertainment medium until after World War II.

The Bottom Line

The Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century in Britain and transformed society from an agrarian on൩e to an industrial one. The period saw the introduction of new technologies that greatly changed economies and how people lived, such as the steam engine, the telegrapꦆh, and the spinning jenny.

It also ushered in an era of urbanization as people left farms to work in factories in urban centers, whic🔴h resulted in pollution, slums, and difficult working conditions. The latter led to labor movements to i🍰mprove the plight of the labor class. The Industrial Revolution had a profound impact on society.