Q.7 Should historians dwell more on the negative social consequences of the Industrial Revolution or its positive economic benefits?
Historians should dwell more on the negative social consequences of the Industrial Revolution rather than its positive economic benefits. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Industrial Revolution is: “The rapid development of industry in the late 18th and 19th centuries, brought about by the introduction of machinery. It was characterized by the use of steam power, the growth of factories and the mass production of manufactured goods”.
It is obvious that a revolution, of any kind, is going to cause great changes to the pre-existing society, culture, and economy, the industrial revolution was no different. The resulting social consequences of the Industrial Revolution were monumental and widespread.4
The industrial revolution changed the distribution of population, wealth and labour patterns at the same time it also changed the production of materials. Whilst many rural areas remained as small farming communities, city life changed dramatically. The newly developed industrial labour opportunities which were located in cities, caused a shift in population from rural areas into larger urban centres. Whilst in the long run this benefited urban life with the development of services and …show more content…
A structured working week was introduced, working hours were extended. Criminal sanctions and strict rules were used to punish the workforce and to threaten the workers to keep in line. Working conditions were abysmal. There was no insurance or compensation for injuries that occurred in the workplace. Factories were extremely unsafe. There was no safety regulations in place. Due to the fact that work was now becoming more and more mechanized, traditional labour and skilled artisans became less and less frequent, with their livelihoods becoming
Historians should dwell more on the negative social consequences of the Industrial Revolution rather than its positive economic benefits. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Industrial Revolution is: “The rapid development of industry in the late 18th and 19th centuries, brought about by the introduction of machinery. It was characterized by the use of steam power, the growth of factories and the mass production of manufactured goods”.
It is obvious that a revolution, of any kind, is going to cause great changes to the pre-existing society, culture, and economy, the industrial revolution was no different. The resulting social consequences of the Industrial Revolution were monumental and widespread.4
The industrial revolution changed the distribution of population, wealth and labour patterns at the same time it also changed the production of materials. Whilst many rural areas remained as small farming communities, city life changed dramatically. The newly developed industrial labour opportunities which were located in cities, caused a shift in population from rural areas into larger urban centres. Whilst in the long run this benefited urban life with the development of services and …show more content…
A structured working week was introduced, working hours were extended. Criminal sanctions and strict rules were used to punish the workforce and to threaten the workers to keep in line. Working conditions were abysmal. There was no insurance or compensation for injuries that occurred in the workplace. Factories were extremely unsafe. There was no safety regulations in place. Due to the fact that work was now becoming more and more mechanized, traditional labour and skilled artisans became less and less frequent, with their livelihoods becoming