There is no doubt that the Industrial Revolution dramatically changed the daily life of European people and later on the whole world. However, there are two opposing views concerning its effect on the general population. Some people say that the technological progress led to greater affluence and the rise in living standards. Others believe that technology did not improve ordinary people’s lives and even caused greater suffering. The current essay’s central thesis is that positive outcomes of technological development outweigh its disadvantages. However, it should be highlighted that it is not as straightforward as it might seem at first sight: technological development possesses more advantages in the long run. Nevertheless, considering the situation in the 18-19th century, it can be observed that people’s lives had not improved rapidly. Thus, the main aim is to show that technologies advanced the way people lived, though it occurred through a series of unpleasant events. This statement will be discussed in the present paper, and evidence from the main historical events will be provided. In the following parts of the work, a brief overview of the Industrial Revolution will be given. Moreover, three temporal periods will be discussed, and the role of technological progress will be evaluated.
In the beginning, it is vitally important to present a short review of the Industrial Revolution to address the problem adequately. The process of industrialization began in Great Britain and took place between 1760 and 1845. However, the peak of technological development occurred in the years 1820-1845 (Grafton & Bell, 2016, p. 603). The Industrial Revolution replaced the agrarian and handicraft economy with machine manufactory and industry. The changes came about through many inventions including the following: adaptation of the factory system; the emergence of new machines, such as power loom, watt steam engine, spinning jenny, the locomotive, electric generator, telegraph communications, dynamite, the typewriter, the photograph.
Moreover, technological progress was influenced by the use of new sources of energy and basic materials (iron, coal, steel), and the tight connection between scientific research and the industrial sector. It is crucial to mention that in addition to the inventions, the development occurred in other areas, for instance, in the economy (rise of international trade; distribution of wealth), in politics, and the cultural context. In the period from 1760 to 1830, the process of industrialization was mainly restricted to Great Britain. From the 1840s and until the mid 20th century, other European countries, and later on the whole world, began to adopt industrial innovations. The Industrial Revolution is not a historical event that occurred at a particular moment in time, but it is instead a series of events that drastically shaped the world.
The overall aim of the present paper is to demonstrate that technological development possessed significant advantages for the general population. However, the positive outcomes were achieved through a series of robust events for ordinary people. In this part of the essay, several temporal periods will be presented and analyzed in light of the impact of technology. The first historical period that will be addressed is the abovementioned peak of the development – the time between 1820-1845.
Temporal Periods
The Time Between 1820-1845
In this part, three temporal periods will be considered to justify the main thesis. The years between 1820 and 1845 were all about change in Great Britain. The period was also a progenitor of changes for the whole world: technology came into all spheres. At that time, Great Britain was rapidly transforming into an urban society (Wrigley, 1985). The primary industry was textiles, especially the production of cotton. Thanks to the invention of the power loom, numerous textile mills appeared throughout the country. The production of cheap cotton made fashion accessible for ordinary people which was impossible to imagine in the old days. Moreover, technology transformed the way transportation and communication functioned. Railway networks in Europe allowed exchanging coal, steel, and manufactured goods rapidly and efficiently, compared to the previous times.
Furthermore, maritime transport gradually evolved due to the invention of steamships. This innovation changed the way people and goods traveled: in 1840, steamships made trips across the Atlantic weekly, delivering both passengers and goods (Grafton & Bell, 2016, p. 607). Another main outcome of the process of industrialization was rapid urbanization. People moved from rural places to cities to work in manufactures. This process started in Great Britain, and by 1850 half of the population lived in large cities (Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester). To sum up, it can be seen that technological progress had brought significant innovations, and made Britain, and later other countries, well-developed and prosperous. Nevertheless, it should be discussed how the peak of the Industrial Revolution affected people’s daily life and well-being. In the following paragraph, the effects will be presented and assessed.
The way people lived and their working routines enormously changed in the 1820-1845 period. At that time, regardless the technological development, working conditions were poor. For instance, a problem of child labor widely existed: 35 percent of all workforce were children under sixteen, and 5 percent under the age of eleven, working 16 hours per day in dangerous conditions (Grafton & Bell, 2016, p. 608). Even though there were advocates of the Factory System (Ure, 1835), numerous facts did not speak in its favor. Sadler’s Report on child labor revealed shocking working conditions for children in British factories at that time. They started work at 5 in the morning and finished at 9 in the evening; often did not live near the workplace, did not have enough time to eat, worked in unsanitary condition,ns and were regularly strapped (Sadler, 1832). As a response to the report and several other investigations, Parliament adopted a series of Factory Acts that restricted working hours for children (Grafton & Bell, 2016, p. 608). However, children continued working in dangerous conditions, which can obviously be called suffering.
The Period Between 1845-1880 and 1880-1910
These two periods will be considered together, as they cannot be logically separated from each other (the first period concerns European revolutions and the new wave of industrialization, the second one refers to its outcomes). Significant economic, cultural, and political changes continued to happen in European countries. It began with a series of revolutions against monarchies that occurred throughout Europe in 1848. The most important revolutions spread in the Austrian Empire, France, Italy, Netherlands and the states of the German Confederation. There are numerous factors that lead to the spread of the political changes; however, the technological progress did not play a minor role in the political processes. The development of technologies shaped the life of the working class: people got wider access to information, and, thus, new ideas and views started to emerge (such as liberalism, nationalism, and socialism) (Grafton & Bell, 2016). The shift in ideals and values led to the political changes, and the abovementioned revolutions took place.
Even though the revolutions claimed lives and caused suffering, many vital social changes were accelerated through the political changes. For instance, new economic opportunities for women arose, which was not the case in the first period of industrialization (1820-1845). The invention of the typewriter created a large number of jobs, and women started education in secretarial skills. Moreover, due to new technologies, people got a bigger degree of freedom of movement: they migrated for work and could travel, as steamship tickets were cheap. During this period of the second wave of industrialization, the era of globalization was entered (Grafton & Bell, 2016). To sum up, it should be highlighted that the time of revolutions was not easy for ordinary lives, however, it brought plenty of advantages, including concerns for human rights, rising opportunities for women, and global travel.
In conclusion, in the essay, it was demonstrated that there is no straightforward answer to the question, whether technological development led to greater prosperity or suffering of ordinary people. Three periods were discussed and evaluated, and it can be said that people suffered severely from poor working conditions, illnesses due to it, revolutions, and other related events. However, these periods were marked by first career opportunities for women, children’s rights protection, travel, new values and ideas. Ordinary people did not live carefree lives, but they had opened up plenty of possibilities and made life easier for future generations.
References
Grafton, A., & Bell, D. A. (2018). The West: A New History. Vol. 2. Norton.
Sadler, M. (1832). Report on Child Labor (1832). The Sadler Commission.
Ure, A. (1835). The Philosophy of Manufactures. London, 1835.
Wrigley, E. A. (1985). Urban Growth and Agricultural Change: England and the Continent in the Early Modern Period. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Vol. 15, No. 4, 683-728.