Example Of Essay On The Industrial Revolution In Europe

The Industrial Revolution is one of the significant events in the world history today; as it left an everlasting mark in the society. The Industrial Revolution started in Britain, and spread to Europe, the United States, and then to the rest of the world. The Industrial Revolution is a period that greatly changed the economy and living standard of the people in Europe. It is a time that significantly changed the life of the people as they transformed from a principally rural agrarian to an urban industrial society in Europe and America. For instance, there was a significant improvement in the transport system, agriculture, the texture and manufacturing industries, the social structure, and economic structure. Many factories were built thus creating employment opportunities for the people and this benefitted not only the society, but also the economy of the nation. Even though there were a number of negative effects on the Industrial Revolution, it brought a dramatic increase in the prosperity of Europe and the whole world. The industrial Revolution greatly impacted the way people lived and worked in Europe as it helped modernize the society. The Industrial Revolution changed the European society both socially, and economically.
The Industrial Revolution is an era that has impacted people’s lives till now. The current improved technology and machinery is as a result of the Industrial Revolution innovations. Before the Industrial Revolution, people used to make handmade products which consumed most of their time and energy as they used their hands since there were no machines. But after the revolution, the factory system was adopted as machines and other technologies were invented. And this made the production of goods easier. The effects of the Industrial Revolution ranged from good to bad, whereby there was the growth of cities and the building of industries, creation of employment and increased productivity. To bad whereby there was an increase in child labor instances, harsh working conditions, low wages, the spread of diseases due to congestions in the cities, and poor living conditions. However, the positive effects have brought a lasting change throughout history as it catapulted the world’s economy. There is no doubt that Industrial Revolution is solely liable for impelling the society into a contemporary economy that we have today.
The Industrial Revolution in the 20th century had a major impact in Europe and to the rest of the world. First of all, the Industrial Revolution helped in boosting the economy of Europe. After the emergence of factories in Europe, the European economy improved because they were able to manufacture a lot of goods for trade, as well as increasing the number of the working class. Secondly, there was a general rise in the living conditions of the people of Europe. According to More, the Industrial Revolution resulted to a great improvement in the people’s living standards. Many people started working after the revolution sine many job opportunities were created. Due to the increase and emergence of new industries, the economy of Europe was stimulated resulting to the increase of job opportunities and thus a rise in the living conditions of the people. The lives of the people changed because life became affordable with the emergence of many factories and job opportunities.
During the Industrial Revolution, there was an improvement in the transport systems so as to facilitate the movement of goods and people. The building of the railroads created a faster and easier way for people to easily move throughout Europe and to trade with other people around the world. In addition, the railroads provided a faster and easier way to transport goods to different parts on the nation as well as receiving goods from other nations. Apart from offering easy and available transportation to the people of Europe, the railroad also created job opportunities for the people. The more the government built the railroads, the more jobs were created thus improving the lives of the people as more employment opportunities were created. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Industrial Revolution improved the standard of living of the citizens of Europe as well as creating many job opportunities.
Another positive impact of the Industrial Revolution is the increase in the production of diverse products and goods. There was an introduction of power-driven machines in many factories which increased production which produced quality and diverse products. The machines replaced human labor and this made the process of manufacturing goods faster, and the goods produced were of quality. Moreover, the agriculture sector was revitalized with the introduction of new methods of farming that increased food production. With new scientific and agricultural innovations, the farmers were able to boost their harvest meaning there was enough food to feed the growing population and for sale. The citizens benefitted from the inventions of machines and scientific farming methods. There was a growth of population during the Industrial Revolution, thus there was the need for more food production. The introduction of modern and scientific farming methods increased food production.
In addition, communication systems took a major spin during the Industrial Revolution in Europe. During this time, the communication systems were revolutionized making communication easy for the people, hence making Europe a lead in the Industrial Revolution. The people were able to communicate easily with the introduction of telephones, and this made their trade easier as they were able to talk to their fellow traders without any hindrances. As the communication, transport and industrial systems changed, the quality and standard of life of the people greatly changed thus boosting the economy of Europe.
During the Industrial Revolution, there were new social reforms which positively changed the European society. There was an increase in human rights awareness for children and women in the society as a result creating equality. Because of the increase in factories during this time, many children and women were forced to work in the factories for low wages and for many hours. Moreover, they were forced to work under harsh environments with dangerous machinery making injury and death common at that time. As a result, the new reforms saved the children from child labor as new rules were set by the Factory Act on the minimum age for children to work and the hours they spend in the factories. Additionally, the factory Act also spelt out the hours women are allowed to work and they were not allowed to work in underground mines. Also, the factory Act ensured that all people were working under good working conditions and received good pay for their labor.
Apart from the positive effects of the Industrial Revolution, this revolution came with negative effects too. People’s lives significantly changed during this period as they lived and worked in unhealthy conditions. Women and children were forced to work in unfavorable conditions with petite pay causing them a lot of injuries. There were issues with child labor, the issue with the railroads as well as the living conditions. Some people benefited more than the rest; for instance, the middle-class people enjoyed more benefits compared to the other people. The lower class people suffered because of the increased taxation by the European government, which had deeply involved itself in building more railroads. In addition, due to the fact that the factories were built in the city, many people went to urban areas in search of jobs thus creating congestion in the city (Bar and Oksana 430). The people experienced bad living conditions because they moved to densely populated areas. As result, the overcrowding led to the spread of epidemic diseases due to dirty water and poor drainage systems. Nonetheless, the government was able to work on the problems by improving the quality of housing, providing clean water, and minimizing public health hazards.
Even though the building of the railroad provided easy and accessible transport system to the people, it also came with its repercussions. For instance, the coal that was burned by the train engines brought about air pollution to the nation (Clark and David 50). As a result, it made the environment dangerous for the people because, the pollution exposed them to healthy risks. Moreover, many people lost their lands during the time of the constructions of the railroads. In addition, the people suffered due to lack of good housing and sanitation, lack of good medical care and education due to the gap that was created between the poor and the rich. Moreover, there was an increase in crime rates, homelessness, and a high drop in literacy rates since many children were now working in factories instead of studying, and low life expectancy. Most citizens focused on working to improve their lives, and this affected their social life and education.
Industrialization in Europe made life difficult for most citizens. Due to the emergence of industries, there was a lot of work load and it was strenuous for the people. In addition, most of them were injured while working, yet they could not get good medical care. Apart from strenuous work loads, the people lived in terrible conditions, and this made them prone to sicknesses and diseases causing death. Initially, the people owned farms, even though they were using no technology in their farms. But during the industrialization period, most of them lost their farms or could not work on their farms as usual because of the agricultural revolution brought about by the Industrial Revolution.
In conclusion, the Industrial Revolution began in England and spread further to Europe, then to the US. It is a time that transformed the society from a rural setting; to an industrialized society with advanced technology and innovations. The revolution had extensive effects which influenced people’s everyday life as well as the economy. This revolution changed the living standards of the people as well as creating job opportunities in the society. In addition, during this time, there were better transport systems which helped in the movement of goods and the people throughout the country and outside. In contrast, the Industrial Revolution came about with negative effects to the European people. For instance, there was the issue of child labor and women being forced to work under harsh conditions. Moreover, there was congestion in the cities because many people migrated from the rural areas in search of employment thus making life in the city unbearable. Additionally, due to overpopulation, the people lived in bad houses with bad drainage systems thus causing the spread of diseases amongst them. Nonetheless, even though the European people were negatively affected, the Industrial Revolution brought more positive changed to their country through technology and innovations which changed their living conditions and their economy. The Industrial Revolution brought considerable social and economic changes in Europe. Therefore; in essence, the Industrial Revolution greatly improved the living standards of the people, as well as the European economy. Even though it created a number of problems, the Industrial Revolution in Europe was a significant moment in the world history as it transformed the Western world from a rural and undeveloped society to an urban and an industrial society.

Works Cited

Bar, Michael, and Oksana Leukhina. "Demographic transition and industrial revolution: A
macroeconomic investigation." Review of Economic Dynamics 13.2 (2010): 424-451. Print.
Clark, Gregory, and David Jacks. "Coal and the industrial revolution, 1700–1869." European
Review of Economic History 11.01 (2007): 39-72. Print.
De Vries, Jan. "The industrial revolution and the industrious revolution." The Journal of
Economic History 54.02 (1994): 249-270.
Lucas, Adam Robert. "Industrial milling in the ancient and medieval worlds: A survey of the
evidence for an industrial revolution in Medieval Europe." Technology and culture 46.1 (2005): 1-30.
More, Charles. Understanding the Industrial Revolution. London: Routledge, 2000. Print.
Rosen, William. The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry and Invention.
Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2012. Print.
Wyatt, Lee T. The Industrial Revolution. Westport, CT London: Greenwood Press, 2009. Print.