Was The Industrial Revolution A Good Thing? Essay, Research Paper
????????? The Industrial Revolution was a series of many changes that
took place in Great Britain from 1750 to 1900. There is much controversy as to
whether the changes were for better or for worse and to whether the Industrial
Revolution was a good thing or a bad thing. Some people say that it improved
peoples? lives, and that technology and entertainment got better. They say that
Britain was made a great, rich and powerful country. Others disagree and say
that it was a bad thing and that during the Industrial Revolution there were
terrible working and living conditions and many people suffered because of the
changes that took place. They also say that it caused a lot of pollution and
that it changed many people?s lifestyles for the worse. In this essay I will
investigate the bad and then the good things that happened to people?s lives in
Britain between 1750 and 1900 and then make up my own mind as to whether the
Industrial Revolution was a good thing or not. ????????? In the early 1700?s a lot of people worked on the land.
Nearly all of the people that didn?t work on the farms worked in their homes,
spinning or weaving. Most families spun and wove in the same room as they did all
of their domestic chores. This room was usually quite full, with the children,
adults and even the elderly all helping to produce wool and cloth. This was a
good idea, because the less capable members of the family could get help if
they needed it and the parents could look after the young children. This was
also a good idea because the family could choose whichever hours they wanted to
work and they could also choose how much leisure time they had, according to
how much work there was to be done and when they wanted their free time. A good
thing about the Domestic System was that they could keep all of the profits for
themselves because they sold their products at the nearest market town. They
were self-employed, so there was no middleman taking the profits away from
them, unlike in the factories and mills. ?All of these facts about the textile industry
and the Domestic System before the Industrial Revolution make the Industrial
Revolution a bad thing because the Domestic System had a lot of benefits. It seemed
good compared to the situation after the change in the textile industry. During
the Industrial Revolution new methods of spinning and weaving were introduced,
which couldn?t be done in the home because the machinery, including the Water
Frame, invented in 1769 by Richard Arkwright, was too large to be used in the
home. Mills, built by fast flowing rivers, were used to do spinning. Lots of
jobs had to move to huge factories that were built especially. At the factories
and mills parents couldn?t supervise their children whilst they were working.
The employers made children undertake many dangerous tasks for very low wages.
In some mines children, women and men all did the same type of work for the
same length of time. Women earned just half the amount that men did and
children were only paid a third of what men were paid. Children
were exploited and forced to work in dreadful conditions. They were beaten when
they didn?t do their work. Most children became very tired and were frequently
found asleep on the mill floors. This was not surprising when children as young
as 6 or 7 were working 14 hour days, with no substantial breaks for meals, some
with only half an hour in the middle of the day to sit down, eat and rest. Even
heavily pregnant women and women who had just had children were known to be
working in the mills and mines. There is evidence in reports from the mid
1800?s, including one in 1843 which said that young children working in the
cotton mills and factories were beaten cruelly for making minor errors. They
were said to be beaten with whatever tools their boss could find, including
hammers, sticks with leather attached to them, whips, straps and files. Some
children were also punched and kicked.? At most
work places there was hardly any safety precautions taken at all. There were no
protective guards on the machines and most workers wore bare feet. A lot of the
workers were in constant danger whilst doing their jobs. Young and small
children were forced to put their lives at risk by picking up cotton from
underneath deadly machinery that was still in motion. Also at the mills, older
children that were too big to crawl under the machines had to pull heavy
baskets all day long. The tired
children and adults that worked all day long at tip punching machines were in
constant danger of their fingers or hands being punched off, some children?s
arms were even broken. Another
very dangerous process was fork grinding. Pictures that were drawn in the
1860?s show that fork grinders had hardly any safety equipment at all. Not many
fork grinders had safety goggles or masks to protect them from the dangerous
flying sparks and metal dust. There was a survey published in the Medical
Times, 1843. It stated that 855 out of every 1000 fork grinders between the
ages of 20 and 40 died, whilst the national average was only 296. This showed
that this job was very bad for the workers? health. Some other health risks in
the cotton mills were the loud monotonous noise from the machines which was
terrible and also deafening and there was an awful smell that made some of the
workers sick. The dust that flew about was also very dangerous. It made the
children cough very badly. Some of the workers died, just because of the cough.
The working conditions were generally very poor during the Industrial
Revolution, a lot worse than the safer and more relaxed working conditions
before 1750 in the Domestic System. The Domestic System gave people more free
time to enjoy themselves and work together in close and friendly communities
and in harmony with nature, instead of with complete strangers and cruel
employers who were obsessed with time and profit and exploited their workers,
especially the women and young children which is what happened in the mills,
mines and factories. There was
an organisation called the Ten Hours Movement, which claimed to want shorter
days for the children although only the leaders of this organisation cared
about the children. Most just wanted shorter days for themselves. There were
Acts that were supposed to improve working conditions, because employers found
ways around them and children were forced to lie about their age. Also if the
working hours were shortened then the workers wouldn?t get paid as much and
would need to do more hours because they needed the money. Parliament was not a
lot of help because they didn?t have enough inspectors to inspect every single
workshop thoroughly, if at all. The worst evils of child labour ended when
parents began to earn reasonable wages for themselves, so they had no reasons
to send their children to work as well. The
transport was basic in 1750, but at least no pollution was caused unlike during
and after the Industrial Revolution. Pollution from transport and factories is
still a problem today. Another
bad point about the Industrial Revolution is that the living conditions also
got worse after 1750. As many peoples? jobs moved into the towns and cities the
people also ended up moving house with their jobs. The houses were built very
closely together in narrow streets. Lots of them were terraced houses. Pictures
that were drawn at the time show terribly overcrowded conditions in houses and
streets. The houses were built very closely together. People bought, for
example, an acre of land and then built and sold as many houses as they could
on the land with no reference to drainage or anything. Nobody could do anything
about it. Most of
the houses didn?t have a water supply. Some people went down to the nearest
river to collect their water, although this wasn?t sufficient for drinking or
washing. In some towns the water was turned on for a certain amount of time
each day, in Liverpool it was turned on for four hours. The poor had to tap for
it, although they could only fetch as much as their pans could carry. Another
bad thing was that there were no proper refuse collections. Rubbish was thrown
into the middle of the narrow streets along with sewage and all sorts of
refuse. Some of the sewage in towns such as London went down gutters into the
rivers, along with dead bodies of animals and humans which were also thrown in.
This sounds bad enough but the place where this sort of thing was thrown was
very close to where people collected their water for washing and drinking. For
example in London, the Battersea sewer emptied into the Thames just above the
Chelsea water intake. The richer people did pay a water carrier one shilling
each week, to come in his cart, bringing fresh water. The
population rose very quickly. Between 1801 and 1841 the population doubled from
10.5 million to 21 million. Industrial towns grew even more quickly.
Manchester?s population rose from 75,000 to 450,000. Many towns grew so fast
that living conditions become worse. Some families lived in the cellars of
houses. Some families managed to fit about 9 people in one tiny cellar, and
also a couple of pigs! The 1840 Report on the Health of Towns recorded 39,000
people living in 8,000 one-room cellars under houses. These statistics show
that living conditions were very poor in the cities in the 1840?s. Of course
not everybody lived in city slums with overcrowded conditions and poor waste
disposal, although the country cottages were often cold and damp. Many
children that were born died before they grew up. 1 in 6 children died before
they reached 1 year of age and 1 in 3 before they reached 5. Disease attacked
the weakest people. That of course included the babies and young children.
Cholera was the new killer disease at the time. It came into Sunderland from
abroad and was spread through the water supply. There were epidemics in 1832,
1838, 1848 and 1854. Thousands died from it. Seven thousand died of cholera in
September 1849 in London alone! There were also many more infectious diseases
including typhoid, spread by lice and tuberculosis, carried by bacteria in the
air. There were no vaccinations or cures to these new diseases, so nothing
could be done but to let the children and other sufferers die. There was
a lot of poverty and quite a few homeless people. ?There was a survey done in 1842 showing that
the average age of death for a labourer in an urban area, Manchester was just
17, a lot lower than that of a labourer in a rural area, Rutland which was 35.
The average age of death for a professional working in Manchester was also 35.
The highest average age of death was unsurprisingly that of a professional
living in Rutland, which was 52 years of age. These statistics show that
disease was worse in the towns than in the countryside and worse for the poor
than for the rich, although the rich people?s water was often taken from the
infected water supply anyway. These
statistics just about sum up the poor working and living conditions in the town
and cities and how people?s lives were made worse by the Industrial Revolution. Now that
I have explored the bad changes that took place between 1750 and 1900, I will
explore some of the many good changes that took place in the same period of
time. In 1750
Great Britain was a very backward country, compared to lots of others. Before
1750 Britain had been similar for hundreds of years. The population before the
Industrial Revolution was just 6 million and afterwards it had grown to a lot
to over 39 million, which shows that Britain was a popular country to live in.
Another good thing about the population rising was that more cloth and other
products were needed, making industry better and making Britain a wealthier
country, because there was over 6 times as many people needing clothing, food
and other produce. Britain became ?The Workshop of the World.? In 1750
Britain wasn?t really very powerful. It then had its? empire in North America
and the Caribbean, but by 1900 its? empire covered nearly a quarter of the
world including Africa, India, Canada, Australia, The Far East and the
Caribbean. In 1750
only the richest 4% of men were allowed to vote, this was bad because only a
small fraction of the population could give their opinions when the whole
population should be able to. The monarchy had some political importance. In
1900 this situation had improved and Britain had become far more democratic.
Parliament and the cabinet had all of the political power and all adult men
were allowed to vote. This was a great improvement because for the first time
in history governments had to consider the opinions of ordinary people, but it
was not until later that women were allowed to vote.? Britain?s Navy became the world?s most powerful military force. In the
early 1700?s most people worked on the land – hardly anyone travelled a long
distance to get to work. This was partly because methods of farming were very
basic and before brilliant new machinery was invented farming was very hard
work. Many people were needed to plough the fields and harvest the crops.
Another reason why so many people worked on the land was because farming was a
major industry and there were vast areas of countryside. Farming techniques in
1750 were not very good. Mainly horses and oxen pulled ploughs. Also,
before the Industrial Revolution, Britain was only producing 5 million tonnes
of coal each year. After the Industrial Revolution farming and mining
techniques had improved tremendously. Many machines were used for ploughing and
harvesting and mining had become a huge industry. In 1900 Britain produced 225
million tonnes of coal, compared to the 6 million tonnes that it produced in
1750.? This was due mainly to the great
development in mining machinery. Other industries also grew a lot including the
cotton, iron and ship building industries. In 1750 Britain was only producing 2
million kilos of cotton, whereas in 1900 it was producing 850 million kilos. In
1880 cotton cloth made up one third of Britain?s total exports. In 1750 the
steel industry was not known whereas in 1900, 5 million tonnes were produced.
Some of the many industries that were centered around the major cities- i.e.
London, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham, were coal mining, iron
mining, iron manufacturing, silk, linen, pottery, cotton, ship building and
engine making. The products that were made in Britain were sold in shops around
the country and exported abroad, bringing in lots of money. This made Britain a
more wealthy country than it was in the early 1700?s, when the Domestic System
produced the majority of wool and cloth and farming and mining techniques
weren?t very good. At the
time the Domestic System seemed good but it also had its? bad points. Nearly
all of the children stayed at home all day so not very many children went to
school. Only the rich could read and write. Schools were built that everybody
could visit and the various Acts that took place between 1819 and 1878
shortened the hours that children were allowed to work in factories, allowing
more time for their education. The Factories Act in 1833 stated that children
must attend school for 12 hours each week. This was good, because before this
many children had not been aware of the world outside of their local
environment and were uneducated and unable to read or write. Another bad point about the Domestic System and the textile
industry before the Industrial Revolution is that it couldn?t produce a lot of
wool with just one spinning wheel in each house; thousands of times more cotton
(which replaced wool) could be spun on the great new machines in the large
factories. The Spinning Jenny was invented. It could spin 16 spindles at once
making spinning a lot more quickly. Another great new invention was the Power
Loom, invented in 1785 by Edmund Cartwright. It speeded up weaving a lot. The
hand loom weavers were then forced to give up their jobs and become factory
weavers. A good thing about producing a lot more cloth was that it was
guaranteed to sell and be exported abroad, so the workers received regular
wages, unlike in the Domestic System. Before the Industrial Revolution they had
to go to the nearest market town or pay a master clothier to sell it for them. Another
good point about the mills, that was not so before the Industrial Revolution
was that steam power was invented. New textile factories were built, this time
not necessarily near to rivers. By 1880 all of the spinning and weaving
processes had become fully mechanised . The
machines took a lot less effort to power than when the Domestic System was in
use. Before the Industrial Revolution hand power and sometimes water power were
used in the textile industry. Another
way in which steam power was used was to develop the transport system. In 1750
most people travelled by foot, heavy loads being transported by horse. In 1830
horses were used to pull boats along the newly made man-made rivers, canals.
Between 1830 and 1900 transport developed hugely. A network of canals was in
operation all over the country. Steam was used to operate trains and trams were
also used. The rocky, muddy and dangerous roads changed to a network of fast,
safe roads throughout Britain. The
claims that the working conditions in the factories and mines were poor were
only partly true. There were many reforms in working conditions in the early
1800?s. There were some dangerous jobs, although the statement about 855 out of
every 1000 fork grinders between the ages of 20 and 40 dying was probably an
exaggerated claim. Also, sources of information written by journalists at the
time may exaggerate and not tell the full truth about working conditions.? In 1842
Parliament appointed a Royal Commission to find out about working conditions.
In the mines the commission discovered the bad working conditions and did
something about them. The Mines Act of 1842 stated that no females could be
employed in mines and neither could boys under 10 years of age. The Factories
Act of 1833 stated that no child under the age of 9 must work in a textile mill
and that those up to thirteen must work for no longer than 48 hours each week
and must attend school for 12 hours each week. The 1842
Mines and Collieries Act banned underground work for women and children under
10 years old and no winding gear was to be operated by those under 15. Mine
inspectors were appointed to check that nobody was breaking the laws or working
in dangerous conditions. The 1874 Factories and Workshops Act made a maximum of
a 56 and a half hour week for all factory workers. This meant a ten-hour day
Mondays to Fridays and 6 and a half hours on Saturdays. The 1878 Factories and
Workshops Act applied all previous laws and sent inspectors to every workplace
with machinery, so all workers in industry were protected. Working conditions
were quite pleasant after these acts had taken place and the government
inspectors had inspected all of the mines and factories. These reforms had
improved the quality of work for nearly everybody. There
were also important reforms in living conditions. The problem of the disposal
of human waste was solved by the 1875 Public Health Act. That act stated that
there must be drains, toilets and underground sewage systems in all streets.
The problem about the filthy water supply was solved in 1848, by the Public
Health Act that stated that home owners could receive piped water in their
houses for a small charge. The other main problem was the poor quality housing.
This was solved by the 1875 Artisans Dwellings Act that stated that slums must
be cleared, there should be thicker walls on houses and that all houses must
have a sewage system. There
were fewer open spaces in towns in 1900, than there had been in 1750. This
problem was about the lack of recreational space and was solved by the 1875
Public Health Act. New parks then opened. Parks were great for the children and
the adults to have fun. There were fields, lakes and bandstands?a great place
to spend the time that they had off work. The 1875
Public Health Act also solved the problem of poor personal hygiene. Public Baths
were opened, which gave the public a place to wash. All of
these reforms that took place during the Industrial Revolution were for the
better and helped to make Britain a better and healthier place to live. Before
the Industrial Revolution most families stayed at home for most of the day
working, some even spent their leisure time at home. During the Industrial
Revolution, mainly in the late 19th century, there was a growth in
new entertainment. This was partly because of the working people who were beginning
to get more time off work. Another reason why so many people began to travel
away from their home towns and cities was because of the excellent railway
network, with its? cheap fares. This was ideal for travelling easily and
quickly all around the country. It became common for factory workers to be
given the Saturday afternoon off and in 1871 Bank Holidays were introduced.
Many people visited their local pub and drank heavily. Others discovered new
forms of entertainment including day excursions, football matches, music halls
and circuses. Some
popular resorts that developed in the late 19th century were
Blackpool and Brighton. They are still popular resorts today. People enjoyed
going to them because they were near the sea, to get away from the towns and
cities and to the seaside to get some fresh air. Another
very popular form of entertainment was the music halls. All of the major cities
had one, Birmingham and Liverpool had six each and London had 50. A variety of
shows were on including singers, comedians, magicians and acrobats. The
audience had great fun at the music halls and often joined in with the songs.
One of the best-loved music hall singers was Marie Lloyd. Lots of musicians and
singers were discovered through the music halls. Sheet music was available to
the public, so that they could play along to their favourite songs at home.
This was also a way of making extra money for the performer. Another
place that the whole family would enjoy visiting was the circus. People could
see amazing acts and things that they had never seen before. Some famous
circuses toured the whole of the country including the Barnum and Bailey?s
circus. Football
was a very popular game in the late 19th century. Youths and adults
liked playing and spectating the game. Manchester United and Arsenal, amongst
other teams started playing as works teams at this time. Other teams that are
still going today such as Aston Villa, Everton and Southampton were also formed
at this time. Football was watched by huge crowds. The 1901 Cup Final was
attended by a massive crowd of 110,000 people. The tickets for football matches
were a lot cheaper than today and football became known as ?The People?s Game.? All of
these changes to entertainment that happened in the Industrial Revolution were
good ones because they gave people something to do in their spare time. They
let people explore places that they?d never been before, enjoy themselves with
their family and friends and see unusual performances and shows, instead of
staying in their own town and not going out, apart from to their local pub. Also in
the cities and towns a lot of public facilities were built for the people
including shops, libraries, public baths, music halls and schools. Some of
these I have already mentioned. The public could go out and enjoy themselves
and again see things that they?d never seen before and find out more about the
world outside of their local environment. Another
problem that was solved during the Industrial Revolution was the poor
healthcare and lack of medicine and cures to diseases. In the 1840?s and 1850?s
x-rays began to be used to identify broken bones and also various scientists
invented anaesthetics and antiseptics that made operations safer and less
painful. These new inventions made health care lots better and are one of the
many improvements that took place in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. Now that
I have given evidence both for and against the effects of the Industrial
Revolution, I will do a conclusion to find out the answer to the question ?Was
the Industrial Revolution a good thing?" I will also try to make up my own
mind as to whether it was a good thing or not. There
were many arguments against the Industrial Revolution including that there were
very poor working and living conditions, environmental damage and pollution and
that generally people?s lifestyle?s changed for the worse. In my essay I used
the good points about the Domestic System to make the changes that took place
in the textile industry sound bad. There were many good points about the
Domestic System that were not true during and after the Industrial Revolution.
The working conditions were less strenuous, the children and the elderly could
be supervised and the hours were more convenient for the workers who worked at
home. There weren?t many bad points for the workers that worked in the Domestic
System apart from that the houses were crowded, with domestic chores going on
in the same room as spinning and weaving. So, the change in working conditions
didn?t benefit the workers very much, but it did benefit Great Britain as a
whole. Before the Industrial Revolution Britain didn?t have a lot of different
types of industry, whereas in 1900 there were many major industrial cities
producing iron, steel, pottery, silk, linen, ship building and engine making. The
cotton industry grew tremendously from 1750, when it produced 2 million tonnes
each year to 1900, where it produced 850 million tonnes each year. Lots of the
produce was exported and sold abroad making Britain become a very wealthy
country, compared to in 1750. Great
improvements in machinery made farming and mining become easier and quicker,
also helping to produce more, making Britain even wealthier. It was a good
thing that Britain became wealthier, but where exactly did all of the money go?
Britain brought in a lot of money, but living and working conditions were just
as bad as ever, or were they? There
were terrible reports on working conditions in the late 1700?s and early 1800?s.
The safety precautions were virtually non existent, the hours were terrible,
children as young as six were working in the mines and mills along with
pregnant women, children were beaten and exploited, the noise was deafening, the
dust from machines was deadly and the smell was sickening. These were
definitely not conditions that the workers found pleasant and were probably one
of the most terrible things about the Industrial Revolution. The working
conditions weren?t good for anybody, except maybe the bosses and employers. There
were lots of reforms in working conditions starting from the mid 1800?s. In
1842 Parliaments Royal Commission found out about the terrible working
conditions. They passed acts that helped the workers, including the Mines Act
of 1842 that banned females from working in the mines and the factories Act in
1833 which stated that no child under the age of nine must work in a textile
mill and those up to the age of thirteen must work for no longer than 48 hours
per week. These reforms were a good thing about the Industrial Revolution,
although some employers found ways around them. By the time the Industrial
Revolution I think that most of the working conditions were a lot better and
that the worst evils of child labour had ended, but nobody but the children and
employers themselves will ever know how much the children suffered. Also, if
these reforms hadn?t have taken place during the Industrial Revolution and if
the acts hadn?t been passed by Parliament, then terrible working conditions mat
have carried on for a lot longer and we may still have bad working conditions
today. Another good thing about the Industrial Revolution was that acts were
passed stating that children must go to school for 12 hours each week. This may
not seem like a lot compared to today, but it gave the children an opportunity
to learn about the world around them, unlike before the Industrial Revolution
when most people were uneducated. One of
the bad points about the Industrial Revolution was the poor living conditions
in towns and cities. The overcrowding was a big problem, with many people
living in slums. The water supply and sewage and waste disposal were also huge
problems. These terrible living conditions and polluted water supply caused
disease and infections including cholera, tuberculosis and typhoid. At first
many children and adults died from these diseases, but in the mid-1800?s x rays,
anaesthetic, antiseptics and other medicines and drugs made operations safer
and less painful. Like the
bad working conditions, the living conditions seemed to be more or less sorted
out by the late 19th century. Another good thing about the
Industrial Revolution was that Parliament took action to make people?s lives
more pleasant. In 1875 they passed the Artisans Dwellings Act stating that
slums should be cleared, thicker walls should be put on houses and all houses
must have a sewage system. The 1875 Public Health Act also improved living
conditions. As a result of this proper underground sewage systems were built
along with drains and proper toilets. Before this in 1848 the Public Health Act
half solved the water problem. It allowed all houses to have piped water for a
small charge. A lot of
pollution was caused during the Industrial Revolution, and is a serious threat
today, on a world wide scale. The factories gave off a lot of pollution. Today
people who live near factories are still affected by pollution. During the
Industrial Revolution pollution was also caused by trains. Now, pollution is
caused more widely by cars, which were not around in the Industrial Revolution.
During the Industrial Revolution was probably the first time that pollution
really became a threat. There
were many more good points about the Industrial Revolution, including great improvements
in travel. Railways, tram tracks and good roads made travelling quicker and
easier. Leisure
and entertainment was a good point. If the new entertainments hadn?t have been
discovered then, then nowadays we may not have popular seaside resorts, such as
Blackpool and Brighton, theatres, cinemas, circuses, sheet music for sale and
the most popular game in Britain may not be so popular. A lot of the football
teams that are popular today such as Aston Villa, Everton, Southampton,
Manchester United and Arsenal were started in the late 19th century
as works teams or teams to keep local youths out of trouble. Lots of the parks
that are around today were made in the late 19th century. Another
point that makes the Industrial Revolution a good thing is that many shops,
libraries, public baths and other public facilities were built. Some of the public
baths are still around today, although they have now changed into swimming
pools. Lots of
things that originated during the Industrial Revolution such as Bank Holidays,
are still in use today. I would
not have liked to live between 1750 and 1850, because the living and working
conditions were very poor. I would?ve hated to work long hours in the mills or
mines and then come home to a cellar shared with ten others with the foul
smells of sewage and other waste in the air. I think
that during the Industrial Revolution many important reforms took place, which
improved the quality of life for most people and that by 1900 Britain would
have been quite a nice place to live. The
changes that took place could mean different things to different people,
therefore people who are very concerned about pollution and environmental
damage will say that it is a bad thing. The people who are interested in health
care would say that the Industrial Revolution was a good thing because many new
treatments and cures to diseases were invented. I would
rather have lived in 1900 than in 1750, although people that prefer more
friendly, rural communities would probably rather have lived in 1750. I think
that the Industrial Revolution had more good points than bad points, because
most of the problems that were around at the beginning of the Industrial
Revolution ended up being solved by acts that were passed by Parliament. I
think that most of the changes that happened about 200 years ago still influence
our lives today. Overall the Industrial Revolution improved the bad living and
working conditions, made Britain wealthier and far more powerful, improved
entertainment, travel, education, public facilities and health care. Out of all
of the points that I?ve mentioned in my essay I can only think of one bad
effect that is long term and is still around. The problem has not yet been
solved ? that?s pollution.