Free The Industrial Revolution In United States Of America Essay Example

Industrial revolution signifies the transformation in the way commodities were produced. It led to establishment of new factories to produce goods on a large scale. Gradually the way of life also transformed. The gradual change later became a social norm it is today. Before the industrial revolution, the main occupations of the people included trade, farming and animal husbandry. The rich were the bosses and the poor served them in these activities. Hence all the occupations were carried out from home. There was no concept of office prior to the revolution. Once the machines to ease out the lives of people came into existence, factories to produce the machines also mushroomed. With this a new set of jobs became available to the people. In fact, it was during this period a class of working people called ‘engineers’ was born. Moreover, concept of ‘office’ also started gaining prominence. As the demand for the luxury items grew, the factories employed more and more people and it provided a stable source of income to the working class. So, a source of steady income was bait for many people, especially the poor, to work for these factories. The rich life in the urban areas lured people from rural areas to move to the cities and work in those industries. The ‘Engineer class’ became very respectable as it was the brain of all the factories that operated. So, it was an attractive proposition for the educated class to work as engineers as it provided a well-paid respectable job.
SBut there was an ugly side to industrial revolution as well. It included various health hazards to the workers. People were equated to machines. They had long working hours and low wages. They were prone to accidents and did not have any safety at work. Looking at the present scenario, in petroleum and mining industries, we find the situation is no different. They have to work for very long hours and in spite of all the preventive measures taken these days, there still exists a lack of security. The other undesirable effect was pollution. As the factories have burgeoned, pollution and health hazards related to pollution also increased. The same goes with the petroleum industries today. Apart from these, with the advancement in technology, various fraudulent ways in banking have evolved over the years. Fake checks those days have found replacement in online transaction fraud of the recent times.
So, in all, the revolution had both good as well as bad impact. But since it was us who brought about this revolution, it becomes our responsibility to take in the good and reduce the bad to leave a better place for the future generations.

References:

McLaughlin Green, Constance (1939). "Holyoke, Massachusetts: A Case History of the Industrial Revolution in America". New Haven, CT: Yale University Press
Clark, Gregory (2007). A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-12135-4.