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What were the pros and cons of the industrial revolution?
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Some advantages of the Industrial Revolution are that it enabled the production of goods on a scale that was unprecedented in human history, that it elevated many people's standard of living, and that it expanded the economies of many nations. Some disadvantages are that it ushered in the modern era of greenhouse gas pollution and climate change, that it forced some people into exploitative labor conditions, and that it led to overcrowded conditions in many cities.
A few other advantages and disadvantages might be worthy of mention here.
First, implicit within the answer above, the idea of productivity came into its own in the Industrial Revolution, which was a two-edged sword, I think. While making nations more productive than ever before, providing more and more cheaper goods to people, leading naturally to the assembly line that Ford pioneered, it also created appalling working conditions for people just in terms of time spent on the job and expectations of productivity. The invention of electricity exacerbated this, making it possible for people to work even longer hours, indeed, around the clock. As we all know now, this is simply not good for anyone. I also think this drive for productivity led to the creation of unions, which some judge a good thing and other not.
Second, from an environmental perspective, the Industrial Revolution was a disaster, with a...
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direct line from that era to today's era of global warming. The use of fossil fuels increased exponentially during this time, with no awareness of the consequences for our health or for our planet. And in fact, right now, as we speak, other nations are experiencing their own Industrial Revolutions, increasing their use of fossil fuels, further contributing to climate change problems. We, of course, were able to have this revolution without guilt, since we did not know any better, and now that we have reaped the benefits of it, it seems unreasonable to deny these benefits to other nations, an interesting environmental quandary.
The major advantage of the Industrial Revolution was that it was the beginning of a wave of new material goods that could be used to improve people’s lives. Early in the Industrial Revolution, for example, cloth came to be made much more cheaply than it had been before. This helped people’s lives because it allowed them to have more clothes than they could previously afford (at a time when people did not often have very much clothing). The Industrial Revolution later brought about many more kinds of goods as well.
The major disadvantages were largely social. The Industrial Revolution brought huge numbers of people out of the countryside and into big cities to work in factories. Their jobs were often dangerous and did not pay much. They lived in very poor housing conditions. The cities were very dirty and dangerous, both in terms of health hazards and in terms of crime. People were often disconnected from the extended families who had previously helped them with their lives.
Thus, the Industrial Revolution was good in that it brought material benefits, but it was very hard on many people whose lives were changed by it.