Impacts and Evolution of the Industrial Revolution

Throughout the Industrial Revolution in 1780 there were many positive and negative effects that resulted during this time including technologies were improving, machinery that was making travel, luxuries and comfort better, and poor working/ living conditions. The Industrial Revolution was when societies in Europe and America started invent machines, which made manufacturing of products quicker, easier, and cheaper. Before all these machines in factories were created, the economy was all based on farming and peoples abilities to make products to sell. The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the 1780’s and to Western Europe and the United States throughout the 18th Century. It began in Great Britain because there was good weather

for crops, which increased a bigger food supply. Great Britain was very wealthy and had plenty of money to invest, which made it a good place to start a revolution. Even though there were a lot of negative effects, like the poor working and living conditions, there were also many positive outcomes which occurred. Two positive effects were that the technologies and machinery were improving.
During this Revolution, a lot of new technologies were being invented.

For example; The Flying Shuttle, Spinning Jenny, Steam Boat, Cotton Gin, Steam Engine, and the water powered loom. These new technologies made everything faster, whether it was the manufacturing of goods or the distribution of them, “The Flying Shuttle made weaving faster, and the Spinning Jenny aloud for more thread now that the flying shuttle made weaving faster,”(Industrial Revolution Notes). Those were just some of the new technologies that were invented; they made transportation to ship manufactured goods easier and faster than before. The Steam Boat made it so that the transportation of the shipments would travel through waterways, rather than going on land and it made it much quicker to distribute the products made. “The Steam Boat invented in 1807 to travel on waterways” (Industrial Revolution Notes). The process of making and distributing products was easier, quicker, cheaper, and better quality. Since, the machines did everything for them; it would make more products in less time, railroads would make it much easier for transportation, and since more products are being made at a time prices decreased. “Your houses are better built, your clothes are cheaper, you have an infinite number of domestic utensils. You can travel cheaply from place to place, and not only travel at less expense, but travel ten times quicker than two hundred years ago” (Doc 4). Those were just some of the positive

effects of Industrial Revolution, and they made have made it sound good but there were a lot of negative effects that also contributed, such as the poor living and working conditions.
During the Industrial Revolution the working and living conditions were poor, and it was very on harsh on mostly everyone. At any age, no matter how old you were, children and adults used machinery to manufacture products. It was very dangerous using machinery, considering many people have gotten their legs and arms cut off, and it led to bad infections. The infections were never treated by any doctor; they spread and most likely led to death. “A doctor has had told you that you will die within the year, is that correct? I have been told so. Did he tell you the cause of your illness? He told me that it was caused by the dust in factories and from overwork and insufficient diet… To what was your brother’s death attributed? He was cut by a machine and he died of infection” (Doc 2). The machines were so dangerous to use, especially with inexperience. Just like the working conditions, the living conditions were just as bad.
The living conditions were filthy.

The streets weren’t paved, there was no street drains, so huge puddles of water would fill up the roads with a very bad smell. There were little cabins that the people lived in, in front of the doors was piles of trash. “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, sinking puddles… In front of the doors, filth and garbage abounded…” (Doc 7). The living conditions were very horrific. There were a lot of diseases that were spread and resulted in deaths. In a result of all of the sicknesses, the dirty shelters the workers lived in, and all the garbage just lying around, so many deaths took place, overall because the unhealthy environment they lived in. If you lived in the country you most likely lived 21 years more than the people who lived in the cities. “Average Life Span: 17 years (urban) vs. 38 years (rural)” (Industrial Revolution Notes). Overall even though there were a lot of negative effects of the Industrial Revolution, a lot of positive effects came out of it too.

When the Industrial Revolution took place in the 1800’s many positive and negative effects came out of it. The poor working and living conditions resulted in many deaths, the improved technology lead to a faster way to manufacture and distribute goods, and the improved machinery stemmed a way to make products cheaper, quicker, and easier. Even though negative

effects resulted from the Industrial Revolution, it was a good thing that it happened. It made the process of making products simpler, and the distribution and transportation way cheaper and ten times quicker than before.