The Pros And Cons Of The Industrial Revolution

Throughout the 19th century, Britain as well as other countries in Europe began to experience massive advancements in areas such as agriculture, transportation, and the transition period for the production of goods, going from labor operated to machine automated. One of the main contributing factors to this growth was the geographical position of Britain as its resources were enough to supply ideas and machines. Britain had reliable banks and established supportive politics with more representation for the people. Although the Industrial Revolution created social and environmental problems that are still present today, it was beneficial as it developed a new technology that strengthened England's economic standpoint, giving them the resources

One of the main issues inflicted by the industrialization of Britain was pollution, more specifically air pollution. “Air pollution continued to rise in the 1800s, causing respiratory illness and higher death rates in areas that burned more coal” (7 Negative). The key disturbance occurring during the industrial revolution was the mass amount of air pollution, the death rates in areas with more coal burning contributed to many losing their lives at the expense of modernization. However, this fact is not enough to deem the industrial revolution as detrimental, the number of deaths endured during industrialization was unpreventable as it was required to advance the world. Another counterargument that questions the positive impact of industrialization could be the conditions workers had to endure. One way the working conditions were too harsh were the excruciatingly long work days, “Until the passage of the first Factory Act in 1833, factory owners were free to set the hours and conditions of labor” (Burns). From the start of the industrial revolution, people were not used to the extreme need for workers, so during the 30 or so years until the factory act, people had to work in these conditions. However, once enough workers were recognized to be overworked, and shifts were split more evenly, working conditions greatly improved. Therefore, the industrial revolution was a new period where people were not used to the inventions and need for work, but after adapting, it is clear that industrialization was more beneficial for the world than it was