preview

Essay about Effects of the Industrial Revolution

Good Essays

The Industrial Revolution that took place throughout the 18th and the 19th centuries had major effects which influenced every aspect of society and life such as, urbanization, imperialism and nationalism. The industrial revolution had an unfathomable effect on shaping the modern world to what it is today. Before the revolution, society revolved around farming and agriculture. There were only two social classes, the nobility and the working class. Little did they know, that their lives were about to change dramatically and continue changing for the next generations to come. Urbanization is the movement of people to city areas. There are many reasons why urbanization occurred on a large-scale during the industrial revolution. The …show more content…

On the other end of the society scale, the working poor were working and living in unbearable conditions. There were no irrigation systems, running water or any way of preserving hygiene in the homes or the factories. The working poor lived in slums and tenements which were breeding grounds for diseases. In the book, “The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844” by Friedrich Engels, he states, “...at the end of the covered passage, a privy without a door, so dirty that the inhabitants can pass into and out of the court only by passing through foul pools of stagnant urine and excrement.” (page 78)1. This gives us a peek into the horrible unsanitary conditions that the working class were forced to endure while the business owners were living in beautiful mansions and summer houses. Mortality rates were decreasing rapidly. This was not only an effect of the poor living conditions, but also of the high pollution that was being created by the factories. Without the proper piping that is needed, the streets which were already filled with trash, also became smoggy and polluted. Women and child labor were very common in the industrial revolution with employees working from twelve to sixteen hours a day and being paid scarcely enough to get by. Nationalism can be described as a deep devotion to one's country, and in this case, can be used as a device for propaganda. They used it to evoke loyalty in

Get Access