The Industrial Revolution was a turning point in human history.  New inventions and ideas changed the way people acted, worked, and thought.  The Industrial Revolution completely revamped global economies and cultures, and it ended up affecting society in both positive and negative ways.

General Effects of the Industrial Revolution

The effects of the Industrial Revolution included population growth, rural to urban migration, and the formation of new social classes.  In Europe, the population increased from 120 million to 180 million between 1700 and 1800.  This population boom occurred mainly because of the agricultural revolution, along with improved health and hygiene.  Because agricultural machines were invented that put human laborers out of work, jobless farm workers migrated to towns and cities.  This migration caused these workers to take jobs operating machinery in factories, and as a result new social classes emerged.  The working class was made up of miners and factory workers, and the middle class, or bourgeoisie, consisted of entrepreneurs who invested in these mines and factories.  The laborers were paid little and often lived in poverty, while the bourgeoisie lived comfortable lifestyles with spacious homes and plenty of food.  Therefore, population explosion, migration into cities, and the emergence of new social classes all were effects of industrialization. 

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Positive Characteristics

Among the changes that took place during the Industrial Revolution, a number of them were constructive.  For example, the building of railroads connected Europe in a network of transportation, and both the railroad companies and countries’ governments benefited.  In the United States, railroads received funds and land donations, and in return the government got reduced rates in transporting troops, freight, and mail on rail lines that received federal aid.  Another positive outcome of the Industrial Revolution was that jobs were created as factories opened.  Even though city conditions were tough, wages ended up rising enough so that many families would have enough money left for some forms of entertainment.  Along with these changes came worker reforms.  These included “factory acts”, which were child labor laws that limited the amount of work allowable for children to perform in factories and mine.  All of the above changes that took place were positive effects of the Industrial Revolution.

Negative Aspects

However, the Industrial Revolution produced many negative consequences as well.  For one, factory life was miserable, with workers laboring long hours for low pay.  According to an 1832 edition of London’s The Morning Chronicle, factory workers had eleven-hour workdays with very little time allotted for breaks or rest.  Also, these long workdays in factories were coupled with unsanitary conditions and health hazards.  Said an 1800s German textile worker, “In the weaving sheds that girls work in an atmosphere which, on the third day of my work there, gave me bad lung catarrh; tiny flakes of the twisted wool fill the air, settle on dress and hair, and float into nose and mouth.”  Furthermore, child labor in dismal conditions was commonplace.  Of the female workers in New England Cotton mills, many were girls not over the age of ten.  Consequently, long hours, horrific working conditions and pitiless child labor were negative aspects of the Industrial Revolution.

The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change and innovation.  The entire world was affected by the way people lived and worked.  Entire economies and cultures changed, and results were both beneficial and harmful.  Today’s society continues to evolve and change, so we must be ready for whatever consequences will result from our actions.   

Sources Used For the Writing of This Article:

Ellis, Elizabath Gaynor, and Anthony Esler. Modern World History. Boston: Pearson Prentice      Hall, 2009

 Gatewood, Willard B. and Randall B. Woods. “The Industrial Revolution: The Railroads” from America Interpreted: A Concise History With Readings, Vol. II: Since 1865. Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998

 Harriet Robinson, former mill worker, “Early Factory Labor in New England,” 1883

 Holmes, Colin and Sidney Pollard. “Working Conditions of a Female Textile Worker in Germany, 1880s and 1890s” from European Economic History, Vol. 2, Industrial Power and National Rivalry, ed. Sidney Pollard and Colin Holmes. St. Martin’s Press, 1972

 The Morning Chronicle (London, England), newspaper article, 1832