This is an essay question that I wrote for my World History class about the Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution are two key factors that have changed the course of human evolution. The Industrial Revolution is the major turning point in human history; it set apart the western world from the rest of the world. The Industrial Revolution changed the way people viewed life. The advancement in technology changed the focal point of life. It changed countries from an agrarian lifestyle to an urban one. It brought more people into the city, and let people have more time to learn. It should also be mentioned that the revolution was founded in Great Britain and made it one of the world’s first superpowers.
The
industrial revolution brought with it many long-range effects, which would
alter the western world quite considerably.
Population increases were obvious, as in 1750 the population was 140
million and by 1914 it rose to 463 million.
This increased population, further, concentrated itself in urban areas,
which led to poverty and social problems—two negative effects. Moreover, industrialization caused an
increase in wealth, with huge growths of money growing in areas such as capital
investment. Which also caused the uneven
distribution of wealth. We saw the
upper 10% holding more than 75% of the money. . It gave rise to a middle class that has survived to this day. The
middle class became the real force in everyday life and the political arena.
They became the center points of everything that would happen in everyday life.
Finally,
industrialization caused massive changes in family life. As their traditional role of productive unit
declined and became an increasingly emotional institution in which members
sought solace and comfort. The industrial revolution can be summed up by one
term, free time. It gave people a
chance to have a life outside of their jobs and let them spend more time with
their family.
The effects of the
industrial revolution were far-reaching and changed where people lived, their
health, and transformed essentially all of western life.