Taking place from the 18th to 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution marked a period where machines changed the way we live. It was a period of change to where new manufacturing processes were introduced. Before this period, most of the world were mostly agrarian and rural and the arrival of the revolution changed all that: we become much more industrial and urban.
The Industrial Revolution was time when goods were produced at a shorter amount of time. As a result, the revolution did offer people job opportunities and enhanced their life, but it also had drawbacks.
List of Pros of the Industrial Revolution
1. It resulted in industry growth.
It’s not a secret that the Industrial Revolution resulted in the growth of industry. It was a driver of economic growth and it improved trade around the world. People from all over the world traded goods with each other and it was so much better knowing that goods can be produced faster than before.
2. It provided opportunities.
There were limited options for growth before the Industrial Revolution. For instance, if your family has been in the bookbinding business for years, it leaves you no option but to go into the business yourself even if your passions lie elsewhere. But the growth of industries allowed people to venture into a job so different than what they were accustomed to.
3. It opened up the idea of free enterprise.
Before the revolution, a town usually made one or two products. But due to the improvements of machines, goods were able to be produced at much faster speeds. This resulted in competition as well as the lowering of prices. In fact, the more goods were made, the cheaper the item became.
List of Cons of the Industrial Revolution
1. It resulted in bad working conditions.
One of the things being dismissed about the Industrial Revolution is that it made laborers out of children. A lot of children as young as seven years old were put to work in factories. Plus, they were paid low wages. As a result, a lot of those who grew up during the revolution lost a part of their childhood because they had to toil away in factories and such.
The sad part is this issue still remains alive to this day. There are still areas of this world that use child labor despite many calls for this practice to end. In fact, children have been used in making products for some of the biggest brands in the world and activists have been calling for it to stop.
2. It led to bad living conditions.
People lived in a world with wide open spaces and lots of green before the Industrial Revolution. But that changed when industry grew and grew. Soon, places known for their beauty looked grim because of the prevalence of industry.
3. It has taken a toll on the environment.
Industry can certainly be blamed for the continued rise of pollution in the world. And as such, can also be partly blamed for global warming. Unless we do something, the way we live will surely be affected by the continued deterioration of our planet.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
