Industrial Revolution1730-1900

In the early 1800s in America, almost everybody was a farmer, or worked on a farm. Cities had businesses and government, but little else. Most people did not leave their farm or village very much, they mostly used the goods that were available to them on the farm. All goods were hand made by the people themselves: clothes, tools, carriages, bedding and food..

Life was not at all like it is today. People did not go to a job and earn money and buy mass produced (things that are made by one company over and over ex: Ford cars) things, they had to trade for the materials and produce them themselves. You had to trade for milk and make your own butter if you did not own your own cow for example. Much time was spent doing these activities day after day.

In around 1730 in Europe (mostly Great Britain), innovations (improvements on old things) in iron working, steam engines and tools began to show up. These ideas spread throughout Europe and the United States. These innovations would lay the groundwork for the world we see today economically and socially.

The Industrial RevolutionSocial Changes

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, wealth had been primarily based on land owned. Almost all

places in Europe had a family, or subsistence economy. This means that they produce and consume everything on their own small farms. With the birth of the Industrial Revolution, there was a great new need

for people to work in the factories. Places like England had just had a population increase and so their cities grew, other places like the US took in millions of immigrants to work in the factories.

This created a completely new social order and economy. Wealth was now based on position in factories and your pay. Also, those good at their jobs would get promotions and become part of the new middle class. The economy was completely turned around. Whereas people used to make all of their own goods, they now went to a job and earned money and then went and spent it on mass produced goods, this allowed people to have much more free time. Culture changed with the move to the cities as well. Farms were made larger and now were used to supply the people in the cities with food.

DrawbacksSince the Industrial Revolution spread so quickly, cities

and politics did not have time to adjust. The output of goods, and the wealth created through Smith’s competition capitalism

model were great, but there were many problems.1.) Pollution: So much coal was burned in cities that roofs and windows and streets were covered with the coal smoke

that had come back down from the air. This made cities ugly and many had lifelong health problems.

2.) Child Labor: Parents were paid so poorly that they needed their kids to work too. These jobs were often dangerous and

underpaid. Also there were no mandatory school laws so kids had to work very long hours.

3.) Work Accidents: Many of the machines were highly dangerous. The gears and sharp edges were all sticking out and it was very easy to lose an arm or a leg,

if not your life while working.

4.) Unfair: Since the industries were new, there were no laws to say what bosses could and could not due. Bosses would find the people that would work for the

cheapest the longest. If one of those people got hurt at work, the boss would fire them and hire someone else.

5.) Cities Conditions: The cities became overcrowded with the working poor of the Industries. They lived in things called tenements in which they had to live

among open sewers and disease. The tenements were rooms just large enough for people sleep in.

Life was very hard on those that worked in the industries. It would be over 150 years before things adjusted and they were treated fairly.

The European Industrial Revolution

Tenements

The European Industrial Revolution

Child Labor

The European Industrial Revolution

Factory Conditions