The Industrial Revolution

Peter Stearns claims that the industrial revolution was an intensely human experience. What initially arose as scientific advancements in metallurgy and machine building, the industrial revolution period saw a redefinition of life as a whole. As industry changed, human life began to adapt. Work life was drastically changed which, in turn, resulted in family life being affected. As is human nature, major change was met with great resistant. Ultimately, the most successful people during the transition were those that adapted quickly.

The industrial revolution is often mistakenly thought of simply as a time period when science was becoming more organized and resulted in the production of new machinery. The Industrial revolution was a period when major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation had a profound effect on socioeconomic and cultural conditions. The Industrial revolution denoted a major turning point in human social history as nearly every aspect of daily life and human society was influenced in some way.

The industrial revolution was marked by a shift of power. The power source before the revolution was human power. Human and animal muscle was the driving force behind all forms of production. At first, machinery saw an increase in manual labor in the form of railway production and canal excavations. Ultimately, the introduction of machinery resulted in a decline in subjugated men and instead man’s intellectual capacity was being utilized.

As a result of the shift of power and the new role undertaken by human labor, education became increasingly important. A privilege once reserved for the upper class, education was afforded to the working class in an effort to improve industrial efficiency. ...

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...ity of the population. Quality of life seemingly was decreased as life revolved around work. While the costs were high, the increase in production and importance of human capital counter-balance adequately. Most importantly, the move toward compulsory education is arguably the most important product of the period. The rise in education would eventually result in further advancements, namely in medicine. A common theme throughout human existence recognized here is an increase in education results in major progress

The industrial revolution was a time period of great change. While the period is characterized by advancements in production, the real revolution was in human life. All aspects of life from work life to home life to social organization were impacted by the movement. The industrial revolution was a time period whose effect forever changed the world.