The Role Of Coal In The Industrial Revolution

History is a perfect example of a cause and effect relationship. It consists of the most influential art, literature, inventions, and events throughout time and translates these things to modern life. Each action in the daily lives of people today has been impacted by one historical event or another. This paper will focus on the time period 1789 to 1848, specifically: coal in the industrial revolution, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Auguste Renoir’s Dance at the Moulin de la Galette. Although these things were current around two-hundred years ago, they are still significant today and are relevant in modern situations. The industrial revolution brought to life many new ideas and inventions which changed the way people would live their lives

As steam powered engines for steam boats and trains became more commonly used the demand for coal sky rocketed. Coal production drastically increased from 4.7 million tons in 1750 to 50 million tons in 1850 (Truman). With the rise of coal came a huge surge in transportation making goods more accessible than ever. These two factors worked hand in hand providing each other with incentives to grow. As more goods were mass produced they required more transportation to sell them and, vice versa, as transportation became cheaper and more common companies were further motivated to increase production. The sudden wave of factories led to an increase in urbanization in which people lived where the jobs were. Without coal to feed these massive factory chains people most likely would have continued to live in small towns and communities rather than clump together for labor purposes. The popularity of coal also marks the dawn of the fossil-fuel era. While it may be a good source of profit and energy, the environment was left to pick up the slack. The over mining and use of coal lead to a serious pollution problem that posed a huge threat to not only public health, but the health of the planet as well. There is a bright side to the destructive force of coal and it comes in the forms of renewable energy. Looking back at the copious amounts of pollution, scientists work towards developing cleaner, renewable types of energy.

The harsh working conditions really took a toll on most people. Working ten to fourteen hours a day, six days a week, with low hourly wages, and dangerous accidents common did not give people much to look forward to when getting up to work. Renoir wanted to change this dreary state of life many simply tolerated. Instead of focusing on making a statement with his work he just wanted to make pictures that were pretty and could make people happy. His work was a good way to distract the general public from the hard times around them, if even only for a few moments. He is most well-known for his Dance at the Moulin de la Galette. The Moulin de la Galette is a windmill where Renoir would frequently spend time with his friends and people would go on their one day off to dance and have a good time. It was the perfect place for his masterpiece since his subject matter was generally social gatherings and happy people. Even with the Moulin de la Galette being a place to relax when off work it still could not escape the looming industrial revolution. In the painting everyone is dancing and having a great time, but what many people do not realize is that the painting sugar coats the situation. In reality, some of the women were forced to resort to prostitution just to get their next meal. It was a much darker picture than what Renoir painted and he knew that,