Benefits and Issues of Industrialization

Many changes were made to society because of industrialization. Productivity increased because machines were created to produce certain goods. Industrialization helped bring about innovation in many countries, worldwide trade increased and innovation rose. However, conditions in the factories were awful and children were exploited. Prices were so low because of the abundance of goods that many artisans went into poverty. Industrialization had its negatives and positives like most things, but the innovation that came out of that period was necessary to move into the modern era.

In Jose de Manuel’s Balmaceda, “On the Need to Develop National Industry,” he states all the good that comes out of industrializing. “If we broadened and made more varied production of our raw materials, processing and transforming them into objects useful for life or personal comfort; if we ennobled industrial labor, increasing wages in proportion to the greater skill of the working class…applied ourselves to producing more and better consuming what we produce, then a more vigorous sap would circulate…” There is no doubt that industrialization improved the lives of many around the world. Many inventions still used today came from the age Industrialization. The Europeans mechanized textiles. They were able to mass-produce cotton, which turned into a global workforce. Another innovation during this time was the interchangeability of parts. Guns were now able to interchange parts and thus were made cheaper and easier to repair.

Another positive aspect of the industrial revolution was the rise of the middle class. Doctors, lawyers, professors and journalists received a wider recognition while they served the growing population of industrial society. Ind...

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...k in factories was very similar to men yet they were said to require less skill and they received lower payment. To get some jobs factory owners required sexual favors from women. Domestic service also increased because of the rise of the middle class. The fathers and sons harassed many housemaids. As more women filled low-level white-collar jobs the idea that they were lesser than men was strengthened by the industrial economy.

In conclusion, the Industrial Revolution changed the lives and economies of many countries. Even though the factory conditions were poor and women and men were still unequal the rise of industry was needed. More people were able to afford certain goods and urbanization increased. The rise of the working and middle class also helped shape many economies. Industrialization was a significant factor that helped lead society into the modern era.