The Industrial Revolution and the Effects on Society

The Industrial Revolution began in England during the 1700s and spread throughout the rest of Europe. The Industrial Revolution was a time of new inventions, products, and methods of work. The results of the Industrial Revolution led to many short and long-term positive and negative effects. However the short-term negative effects outweighed the long-term positive effects of the Industrial Revolution. Short-term negative effects included death and illnesses from working in factories, poor working conditions, and poor conditions within cities. While some of the long-term positive effects are cheaper prices, competition for trade, and the spread of industrialization.

The poor working conditions in factories were a big problem during the Industrial Revolution. Many people worked in factories which had very tight spaces and poor lighting. Many people became injured and sometimes died from these conditions. In Joseph Hebergram's testimony to the Sadler Committee he states "I have damaged lungs. My leg muscles do not function properly and will not support the weight of my bones". Hebergram later states "He (the doctor) told me it was caused by the dust in the factories and from overwork". This shows the harsh conditions that were present in the factories. The conditions were so bad that some people actually died in the factories. Factory owners did not follow necessary precautions so many people died according to Hebergram he states "About a dozen died during the two and a half years I was there". The poor conditions also included the long hours factory workers had to endure. William Cooper was a ten year old boy and he testified in front of the Sadler Committee. He was asked about the working hours and he stated "We began at five in the morning and ended at nine at night, we only had forty minutes for a break". These children that worked at these factories had no time for anything other then working and sleep. None of these children were really educated and most could not read or write. William Cooper later states in his testimony "At times we were frequently strapped". This means, at times when the children were not paying complete attention to their work, they were beaten. These were awful conditions and it led to workers becoming outraged and when the workers had enough they decided to form unions and strike. The strikes eventually led to factory owners having to settle with the workers and this meant better conditions within the factories.

Another short-term negative effect of the Industrial Revolution was the poor sanitary conditions in cities. Friedrich Engels visited an English industrial city and states "The streets are usually unpaved, full of holes, filthy and strewn with refuse. Since they have neither gutters nor drains, the refuse accumulates in stagnant, stinking puddles". This shows how bad the conditions were in some cities. The factories also led to pollution and poor air quality. Many people who lived in these poor cities or slums were the working class that had to struggle through life. Many people were frustrated with the conditions of the cities but they were unable to do much because they did not make enough money to move into a better area.

A long-term effect of the Industrial Revolution was the decrease in prices. The decrease in prices came from all the people working at factories using inter-changeable parts. In The Working Man's Companion the author states "Your houses are better built, your clothes are cheaper, and you have an infinite number of domestic utensils". This shows how people were eventually in the long run, able to live better due to the prices of goods decreasing.

Another long-term positive effect was the spread of industrialism this was good for Europe because the more goods that were produced were better for trade. Trade was very important for countries in order for them to make money. England profited the most from other countries becoming industrialized because England was able to trade some of their natural resources to other countries. In the chart about British Iron Production it shows as the year increases so does iron production. Iron production keeps increasing because as more and more countries start to become industrialized, England traded some of their iron supply to other countries.

The Industrial Revolution was a time of many positive and negative effects on society. The short-term negative effects clearly outweighed the long-term positive effects. The poor conditions in factories and cities led to may deaths and illnesses. Even though some goods were cheaper due to the Industrial Revolution factory owners abused their workers by making them work long hours and sometimes beating them. Many people during the Industrial Revolution did not understand the immediate negative effects because the workers did not speak up about the harsh conditions but once the conditions were exposed to the public it was hard to ignore what the factory workers were going through.