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Impacts of the industrial revolution - Coggle Diagram
Impacts of the industrial revolution
The industrial revolution, started form 1760, was a period of industrialization in Europe and the United States where there was a transition in the process of manufacturing products, in industries such as the locomotive industry and the textile industry
Economic impacts
New inventions and development of factories
As economic activities in many communities moved from agriculture to manufacturing, production shifted from its traditional locations in the home and the small workshop to factories.
As many inventions were built, the speed and effieciency of production drastically increased, hence, Britain could export goods such as clothes in a higher quality, faster. This boosted the economy of Europe.
Examples of inventions that helped in the production process - The spinning Jenny, the power loom. These inventions made the production of clothes much more quicker and efficient.
The overall amount of goods and services produced expanded dramatically, and the proportion of capital invested per worker grew.
Advances in transportation and communication
Before the Industrial Revolution, roads were often poorly maintained dirt roads. During the Industrial Revolution, the government became more involved in building and maintaining good roads. A new process called the "macadam" process was used to create smooth gravel roads. There were also developments of railways. The development in transport led to a quicker way to export goods from Britain to other places. This in turn fueled the economy as it lowered costs and made it possible to reach out to a wider range of customers. This also led to easier communication between people as they could now easily travel from one place to another;
Higher demand for products
More consumers had sufficient income to afford exotic goods such as cotton cloth, etc. Traders realized that if they could produce goods in greater quantity at a cheaper price, they could find more consumers and make a higher profit.
Large labour force and employement
With the development of many factories, people started shifting from rural areas to cities where they worked in factories.
Economic growth – the railways needed bricks, cement, sleepers, iron and coal and as a result, those industries were stimulated. In 1847, more than a quarter of a million people worked on the railways. Their wages helped the economy grow.
Investors and the cycle
The increased demands for products prompted entrepreneurs to invest money in inventions to increase their own profit. The inventions then helped fuel the production process and Profit from increase production used to invest further innovations and inventions and development kept happening
Capitalist economy and alieantion
Laizzes faire capitalsim is an economic system based on profit and using capital to make more capital. There is less government intervention
This policy was used in the Industrial revolution, where, private factories kept reaping all the profits from manufacturing products
Workers were alienated - due to their monotonous work in factories, the workers were not doing what they actually wanted to do and they were working like robot while the capitalists were exploiting them and becoming richer. The workers got very low wages and they had to work for long periods of time.
Social Impacts
Increase in population of cities
The development of different factories and industries meant led to an increase in employement as the factories needed people to work - to collect bricks, spin the whell and operate different sections of the factory/ Hence, people shifted to cities to work in these factories.
An increase in population then led to more problems such as social conflicts between people, easy spread of diseases such as smallpox, increase in street crimes such as robberies, murders and more.
Child labour and harsh working conditions
During the Industrial Revolution poor children often worked full time jobs in order to help support their families. Children as young as four years old worked long hours in factories under dangerous condition
A lot of poeple worked in coal mines with very harsh conditions and a threat to their lives. The machines used in some factories also were dangerous to humans
An average worker would work around 14 hour a day
Changes for women
Women had to compete with men for jobs.
Female factory workers often made only one-third as much as men.
As women became more involved in politics, some
began to demand suffrage, the right to vote. As a result, in 1918, Britain granted women over 30 the right to vote and later in 1920, The United States granted women the right to vote with the passing of the 19th amendment
Better living standards
From all the inventions that were made, there was a drastic increase in the wealth of the poeple.
People had access to healthy diets, cheaper goods and better housing.
Due to better living standards, many middle class families emerged
There was a vaccine made by Edward Jenner to smallpox and Louis Pasteur discovered bacteria. Due to this, , health care increased, and people began to live longer
Political impacts
Trade unions
Because of the brutal effect of the capitalist economy on the life of workers, trade unions emerged.
Unions would ask for better working conditions, fewer hours, and higher pay. They would organize strikes if their demands were not met. Unions also
demanded for laws to improve the lives of workers, including women and children.
Child labour laws
Several states established a minimum wage for labor and requirements for school attendance
In 1938, the Fair labor Standards Act was passed that placed some limitations on child labor, set a minimum wage, and put limits on how many hours an employee should work.
Luddism
Luddism was a violent repsonse to the industrial revolution. General Ned Ludd began breaking into factories and destroying the machines to demand proper wages, conditions for the workers. Ludd then got many followers who also started breaking machines, thinking that it would increase their pay. The British then made a death penalty to stop this movement
Marxism
In 1848 Karl and Friedrich Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto to inspire workers to revolt against business owners. He opposed capitalism and believed that capitalsim trapped workers and alienated them from themselves. He wanted a communist society where there is no class divide and all the to country's wealth is distributed amongst the people and there is a free market with no private property ownership
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is a family of ethical theories that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals. It was Led by John Stuart Mill
Questioned unregulated Capitalism & wanted to divide profits between workers & owners
Favored cooperative agriculture & women’s rights
Urged government to take action on the differences in wealth between classes