Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution began in mid 18th century but did not attain great momentum till the end of the eighteenth century. The revolution began in Western Europe where most of the big cottage houses were located along with production places and continued till mid of 19th century (Carrell, and Heavrin, 2012).
It is understood that the revolution was the answer to the necessities at modernising the age old tools and techniques of manufacturing and production. People started inventing new ways and tools of manufacturing, transport etc. which mechanised a lot of the work which was earlier done manually (Carrell, and Heavrin, 2012).
The impact of the industrial revolution can be judged in terms of the change in living conditions, the changes in employment opportunities and also the way modern cities and towns came up.
The change in living condition of people was not very visible initially and only after a couple of decades of nineteenth century had passed, that we saw the use of new inventions and tools on a mass scale so as to affect the standards of living positively (Social Studies Help).
Initially, workers were hired for low wages and made to work in poor conditions. Only later did the labor unions begin to be formed and labor laws were demanded. That resulted in workers getting higher wages and decent working conditions (Social Studies Help).
The revolution resulted in many big industrial towns being formed which supported large populations nearby. A cumulative effect of higher wages later on and better quality products being available in the market as a result of more efficient and standardised machinery, the overall living standards improved. Also, a lot of labor laws and regulations of today owe their origin to this era, as their need was first envisaged during these times.
Works Cited
Carrell, Michael R., and Heavrin, Christina J. D. Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining: Private and Public Sectors. 10th ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.
Social Studies Help. What was the effect of the industrial revolution on factory workers? Social Studies Help. Web. <http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/USRA__Workers_Lives.htm>.
Industrial Revolution.org. Coal Mines Industrial Revolution. N.d. Industrial Revolution. UK. Web. 21 February 2016.
