The Industrial Revolution

Written by: Anna Pafenberg

Have you ever wondered how we went from living in small towns and cottages to big cities with everything around us? It was because of the Industrial Revolution! The Industrial Revolution was a period between 1700 and 1800 that allowed new ways to manufacture products that changed human life forever.

The Revolution started in England in the 1700s with developments in farming. Now, crops are being rotated, animals breed differently, and the new use of fertilizers. Some other new changes included the spinning wheel for textiles and the use of steam power! Before the Revolution, people would go to different artisans and specialists for different things. For example, a blacksmith would be expensive and not a lot would be around because it was a special job that took a lot of time. Usually it would be an apprentice and the blacksmith, and they had to perform every step of crafting something individually. Factories became popular during this time, and instead of one person making something, the use of assembly lines became popular and things became much faster to make.

Because of factories, new advancements were appearing quickly. The use of steam power allowed trains to be invented, and train tracks and stations were popping up quickly. This allowed people to travel farther than they ever had! Most people never got far from the town they were born in. The revolution started in Great Britain and shortly appeared all over. When Britain's coal and raw materials started to deplete, they imperialized countries in Africa for their resources. This slowly started climate change, and the smog in the air was terrible for human health as well.

People in factories worked for long hours with little breaks. The work they did was difficult and sometimes dangerous. Children also worked hard, and many child deaths happened at this time. Hospitals were not as good, and many people were not happy due to their dangerous and unhappy working conditions. Soon protests began and working conditions became better. The Industrial Revolution also brought about the rise of Capitalism. This was the idea that business owners could make their own money and use it to expand their business. This made factory owners extremely rich, and workers very poor. If you didn’t get a head start during the revolution, you were just a cog in the machine.

The Industrial Revolution has changed the world forever. It has affected our planet, as well as our social climate and how we live our day to day lives. Instead of farming all day and staying close to home, humans have a way to explore and create things in mass components. The world today would still be quite small without the introduction of factories in our lives.