History research

How the industrial revolution affected different types of people

The Industrial Revolution took place during the 18th and 19th centuries when major technological
breakthroughs changed the ways in which manufacturing, agriculture and trade were conducted.
Inventions like the cotton gin, steam engine and sewing machine transformed entire economies and
brought deep and lasting change to all classes of people.

The Rich Got Richer

With the advent of new technologies, mass-produced goods could be created and sold more cheaply
and quickly than ever before, inciting a surge of production and consumption. With the explosion of
manufacturing and trade, the rich who owned businesses got even richer. Middle-class factory owners
who were very successful were able to move into the upper class. The tremendous new wealth
created by industrialization allowed the upper class to build huge mansions, collect fine art and erect
museums and libraries. The privileged social group had always enjoyed prosperity, but now they
achieved a new realm of luxury and extravagance.

The Middle Class Grows

As a group, the middle class saw enormous benefits from the industrial revolution. The growth of new
businesses and factories created thousands of new jobs. The middle class itself grew in size as
occupations like merchants, shopkeepers and accountants allowed the working class to lift
themselves into higher social strata. As these workers earned more, they were able to take advantage
of the newly affordable amenities like furniture and fine clothing, giving themselves a comfortable life.
They were also able to educate their children, so that their social standing would be maintained or
even rise with the next generation.

The Poor Remain Poor

For the poor and working-class people, their lives changed, but didnt necessarily improve. For
centuries before the industrial revolution, the lower classes had earned their living through jobs in
agriculture; now they worked in factories. Because factory work was usually easier than working in the
fields, women and children joined the workforce in huge numbers. Wages, though, were very low, and
even with an entire family working, it was hard to earn a decent living. Furthermore, the working
conditions were often filthy, dangerous, or both. At the very least, the work was repetitive and menial
in nature. As families needing jobs sought work in factories, they swarmed into cities, and the cities
became overcrowded and rife with disease. Children who worked all day did not go to school, and so
did not receive an education or advance themselves.

The Rising Tide Did Not Lift All Boats

The industrial revolution had a lasting impact on all people, but not all classes benefited equally.
Those who could take advantage of the better jobs or professions, or those who were lucky enough to
be business owners, were able to enjoy comfort, privilege and leisure in many ways. Those who were
uneducated and limited to unskilled labor often remained stuck at the bottom of the economic pile.
Their working and living conditions lacked any comfort or safety, and their lives were often miserable,
or at best, simply dreary and dead-end.
Effects of the industrial revolution

You will learn about the effects of the Industrial Revolution on living and working
conditions, urbanization (the growth of cities), child labor, public health, working class family
life, the role of women, the emerging middle class, and economic growth and income

The Industrial Revolution led to the creation of factories. The growth of

factories led to the need for a labor force. Towns like Manchester, England,
became large cities quickly which led to problems of overcrowding. This
problem led to more serious problems as urbanization increased.

Facts about Overcrowding in Cities:

Due to demand for workers, factories turned small towns into cities.

The British town of Manchester went from 17,000 people in the 1750s to
70,000 in 1801. It became known for its polluted air, the noise of its
factories, and the stench of its river.

The working class lived in crowded slums. They were packed into crowded
tenement buildings. Tenement buildings contained small apartments, which
had no running water. Waste of all kinds was dumped into the streets,
which seeped into community water pumps.