The industrial revolution refers to the period between 1760 and 1830 in which immense changes took place in the agricultural, manufacturing and transportation sectors of the economy. These changes resulted in great effect on the cultural, social and economic conditions in Great Britain and later spread to the larger Europe, North America and the entire world. Before this period, people mainly used traditional hand production methods in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors of the economy. During the industrial revolution, transition to machines occurred. People adopted new chemical manufacturing processes and new iron production processes. The first industrial revolution was later followed by the second industrial revolution between 1840 and 1870. During this period, technological and economical advancement took place. Manufacture of machine tools occurred in a large scale and steam powered factories were established. The industrial revolution had both positive and negative impacts on the society.
The textile manufacturing underwent a major technological advancement during the industrial revolution. Initially, weaving and spinning were carried out in households, mainly for domestic purposes. This was done as a cottage industry under a scheme known as the putting out. Rarely did people do the work in a master weaver’s workshop. In the putting out system, workers who were home based supplied merchant sellers products under contract. The merchants over and over again supplied the raw materials to the workers. The women did the spinning while men did the weaving. It took about eight spinners to supply one hand weaver. In 1733, John Kay came up with the flying wheel and subsequently improved it. This doubled the output of a weaver, creating an imbalance between weaving and spinning. In 1769, Richard Arkwright came up with the spinning frame. This was able to produce hard thread fit for warp, allowing the making of full cotton cloth in Britain. The first factory used the spinning frame and was powered by a horse. Other inventions increased the efficiency of spinning steps, thus increasing the supply of loom. This in turn led to the advancement in weaving. Output also increased. Cotton manufacture later used water power, thus mechanizing the textile industry. Later on, steam powered textile factories were established leading to greater technological advancement in textile manufacturing industry. This led to production of affordable clothing to the society.
The metal industry underwent a major technological advancement. Coal replaced bio-fuels and wood. Cutting wood required much more labor than mining coal, for the same amount of heat produced. Use of coal in smelting, however, had started before the industrial revolution. Use of coal was advantageous in that coal impurities did not move into the metal. After the revolution in the metal industry, a great expansion in the output of iron industry took place as coal was widely used in smelting. An improvement was also made in the steel production. Steel was more expensive and was used to make cutting edge of tools. As more iron and steel was supplied, more industries were established. Such industries were those that made nails, wire, hinges and hardware items. Better working of iron was aided by the development of machine tools. Iron was, therefore, used in the growing engine and machinery industries, which improved the technology employed in goods production. Iron tools made work easier. The industries also provided employment opportunities to the people.
The mining industry underwent a major technological advancement. Initially, mining of coal was by means of drift driven into the side of the hill. In other areas, shaft mining was used but this was limited because of the problem of water removal. During the industrial revolution, more efficient steam engines were used. This reduced the fuel costs, thus increasing the profits of mines. Safety of coal mines was also improved after the invention of the safety lamp by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1816. This improved coal mining.
A crucial aspect in the industrial revolution was the development of the stationary steam engine. Initially, industries used power supplied by water and wind. Later, the use of steam power set in. In 1712, the first successful steam power plant was introduced. The first practical engine was known as Newcomens’s steam powered atmospheric engine. Subsequent steam engines powered the Industrial revolution. Drastic improvements were done on the steam engines by 1778, making them more ideal. They also improved the efficiency of the steam engines. By 1783, more economical steam engines had been invented. They could be used to drive factory machinery. These engines powered progress of machine tools such as shaping machines, thus allowing engine metal parts to be cut accurately. This made it possible to build more powerful and bigger engines. With time, readily movable engines replaced the beam engines, which were stone engine house. In the early 19th century, higher pressure non condensing steam engines were developed. A boiler and an engine were combined into a single unit and used on locomotives and steam boats. This made transport cheaper and faster. Bulky raw materials could be easily transported from the sources to where they were needed.
An important aspect in the industrial revolution was the large scale production of chemicals. Production of sulphuric acid was the first. Later, alkalis were produced on large scale. These chemicals had a number of uses. Sulphuric acid was used for bleaching textile and iron pickling while sodium carbonate was used in glass, soap and paper industries. Initially, bleaching was done using sour milk. The textiles were soaked in sour milk and repeatedly exposed to the sun in bleach fields. Developments of calcium hypochlorite, which is a bleaching powder, lead to a revolution in the textile industry. This led to production of higher quality clothes. The time required to bleach a piece of textile material also reduced greatly. The construction industry was also revolutionized by large scale production of cement. This led to construction of stronger structures such as bridges, tunnels, sewerage systems and houses. This improved the social amenities in the society.
Another important aspect in the industrial revolution was the development in agriculture. As more efficient and reliable machines were developed, food production increased. Threshing machine replaced hand threshing in 1784. The industrial revolution also freed up labor, in the 19th Century, from the farms to work in the established industrial mills.
Improvement of transportation was also an important aspect in the industrial revolution. Initially, roads and navigable rivers made inland transport possible. Heavy goods were moved by sea using coastal vessels. Coal was transported by railways to rivers for further shipment. The motive power on land was supplied by animals while the motive power on the sea was provided by sails. Gravity was also relied upon, for movement of wagons down an incline. A stationary steam engine hauled the wagons back to the top of an incline. The road system was poorly maintained. During the industrial revolution, transport infrastructure was improved. Railway network, turnpike road network, canal and waterway network were developed thus increasing the speed of transporting raw materials and finished products. Major cities were linked by railways. Many workers remained in the cities after completing the railway constructions. This provided extra workers to the various factories in the cities. Cost of transportation also reduced and new ideas spread at a faster rate thus improving communication among people.
The industrial revolution improved agricultural practices as more efficient farming tools were introduced thus increasing food supply. This in turn increased the population growth rate, thus straining food and other necessary resources. This limited increase in per capita income. Transportation improvements such as improved road networks, improved water networks, improved railway networks and canals lead to low food costs.
Industrial revolution led to increase in the population . Many people lived in crude shacks and shanties while some could not be housed. Slum areas developed and sanitary facilities became limited as population densities in the slums were extremely high. Homes had open sewers resulting in contamination of water. This led to spread of diseases. However, conditions improved in the 19th century upon introduction of the health acts. The health acts addressed the issue of hygiene and sewage. Development of the textile industry due to industrial revolution resulted in cheaper clothing. Developments of smelting led to production of large quantities of iron thus cheap cast iron cooking utensils were produced.
Industrial revolution created more employment opportunities for ordinary people. This is because more factories were established, transportation infrastructure was improved and agricultural sector was improved. This led to emergence of a class of industrialists who belonged to the middle class in the society. However, working conditions were very strict and the workers worked for long hours at the pace of the machines. Their low income denied them a decent life. Despite the harsh working conditions and low income, living standards of some workers improved. Child labor was also practiced and education opportunities were limited, so children were expected to work. Even though the productivity of a child was comparable to that of an adult, employers paid a child less than an adult. In the early stages of industrial revolution, child labor was the most preferred in manufacturing industries. Beatings were common and the children worked for long hours in dirty and hostile conditions. Many children fell sick and passed on as they were exposed to poisonous gases and harsh weather conditions.
Industrial revolution was a major transition from traditional methods of production to modern methods. Despite, its benefits to the society such as making working easier due to technological advancement, it led to suffering of many people as population grew. It improved the living standards of some people and at the same time, made the living conditions of some people worse. However, industrial revolution is the backbone of today’s world society. All the inventions in all sectors of economy during the industrial revolution have been modified to come up with greater machines. The efficient transport system, communication networks, machines and factories in today’s world society can be traced back to industrial revolution. Therefore, the industrial revolution is the origin of the sophisticated technology in today’s world society. Industrial revolution is the origin of magnificent structures, good living standards, good housing, good health conditions, and fast transport systems of today’s world society. Industrial revolution had a great impact in today’s world society.
Works Cited
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