Economic And Social Effects Of The Industrial Revolution In England

When we discuss modernity, and all the advances and strides humankind has made in recent history, the industrial revolution has to be considered as one of the most imperative moments in history. The industrial revolution can be defined as the movement from Agriculture based economy to an industry based economy through the development of machinery and industry in Great Britain from late 18th century to early 19th century. In this essay I shall be specifically looking at the industrial revolution in England. I hope to explain the industrial revolution’s effect on England economically and socially.

When attempting to derive the effects of the industrial revolution, it’s imperative to take a brief look at Britain before it and why the revolution

Seeking employment and money, people flocked to urban centers such as Manchester and Liverpool, this led to the growth of cities. The influx of new and better goods into the market improved the lives of the people particularly the middle and upper classes. However, the lower or working class didn’t experience as great an increase in living standards as wages remained low, work in the factories was often dangerous, and life in urban centers was crowded and often unsanitary leading to the spread of disease. Poor working class families often had to send children to the factories to earn some money, this resulted in large amounts of children working in factories instead of going to school. These children, who were advantaged by their small size were often given dangerous tasks that larger adults couldn’t do, such as cleaning machinery, this lead to injuries and in severe cases death of children. Some historians argue that in the first half of the 19th century, standards of living decreased, particularly for the poor or working

It brought along inventions and technological progress that lead to the improvement in the performance of the overall economy, as well as an increase in the national income of the average individual, and the widening of the middle class. However, the economic effects of the industrial revolution are when put in perspective, hardly as impressive as first thought. The industrial revolution only affected certain sectors of the economy; even with the technological innovation a lot of the production in the economy remained from handiwork. Sectors of the economy such as the cotton industry bloomed however the overall effect on the economy wasn’t a huge improvement but rather growth was gradual, and subtler than previously perceived. There still exists a debate between historians on whether the industrial revolution did lead to a rise in living standards at the time, and whether the impact was positive or