As any significant shift in human history, the Industrial Revolution has prompted many changes in human lives in response to numerous inventions. In particular, people advanced their labor potential, increased the volume of the job done, improved their homes and daily routines, thus changing the overall mode of existence. The Industrial Revolution advanced civilization toward technology-dependent and science-assisted existence that ultimately had multiple benefits, including more organized labor, better health, and safer dwelling.
The Industrial Revolution brought multiple tools, inventions, and scientific discoveries that changed the way people lived. For example, the invention of the light bulb allowed people to prolong their day and increase the time of work, which had its economic outcomes. In addition, for workers, “the invention of the light bulb provided a much safer alternative to the open flame of the gaslight, especially in the often-hazardous atmospheres of factories” (Lewis, 2019, para. 10). Another significant labor-related issue that was induced by the Industrial Revolution was clock-watching.
Indeed, with the introduction of clocks and time management at banks and factories, the labor regulation became more organized and unified. According to Murphy (2017), the internalization of time as an important concept that implies control allowed for the advancement of industrial capitalist values. Indeed, “while the impact of industrial capitalism on time-discipline remains contested, by the late eighteenth-century financial capitalism had entrenched regular time at the Bank of England and in the minds of its clerks” (Murphy, 2017, p. 132). In a similar manner, people’s needs were significantly shifted toward hygiene and sanitation with the advancement of knowledge about the disease and its causes. As stated by Taylor (2011), the change in taboos associated with dirt and waste led to a more acknowledged and informed behavior. Thus, the advancement of the concept of sanitation changed the way people perceived the world, health, and daily activities.
To conclude, the overall impact of the Industrial Revolution on humanity was omnipresent and improved the quality of life, health, safety, and economy. People started using electric light, which prolonged their working day, as well as started watching the clock, which helped in increasing productivity and economic gains of labor. Moreover, people’s hygiene improved the quality of health and life, which ultimately had positive impact on longevity and workforce quality.
References
Lewis, P. (2019). Lighting the Industrial Revolution. The Open University.
Murphy, A. L. (2017). Clock-watching: Work and working time at the late eighteenth-century Bank of England. Past and Present, 236(1), 99-132.
Taylor, L. (2011). Dirt, waste and revulsion: How cultures cope with leftovers and mess. The Open University.