Essay on The First Industrial Revolution - 2069 Words

Imagine living in a world without electricity, transportation, lights, or modern technology. Envisioning life without the gadgets and gizmos we enjoy today may seem bizarre, but our society remains dependent on the inventions of the turn of the 18th century to feed, clothe and sustain itself. The First Industrial Revolution occurred during the beginning of the 18th century and would merge with the Second Industrial Revolution in 1850. It was a time of great change in America and the world. The previously miniscule GDP, the Gross Domestic Product (Webster, 1), began to shoot skyward with implementation of an array of new inventions, the use of steam power, and the cotton gin, which vastly increased the ability of farmers and manufacturers†¦show more content†¦Yet the population had no room left in the frame of the prevailing system of production to grow or live. Work in the factories was salvation to the people who thronged into plants for no reason other than to improve thei r standard of living† (Mises , 1). Though living conditions may seem bad during the early Industrial Revolution when compared to now, American society had reached a critical point. The only future for many people, particularly the Irish and German immigrants, was in the budding factories or on the virgin prairie. It would be unfair to not point out that the revolution offered a new life to many people. Working provided failed farmers, immigrants, and women work they could never gotten before. People had an opportunity to work for a better life, creating a chance for social mobility, which existed nowhere else in the world than the Americas. The First Industrial Revolution was a time of innovation which led to the mass manufacturing of many of the things we now take for granted like tractors, plows, machinery, textiles, and interchangeable parts, without which American society as we know it would have become stagnated by the sod of the prairie. The growing population would have simply been doomed to starvation and peasantry as it had been in medieval Europe. The changes taking place in the American way of life were closely related to theShow MoreRelatedThe Invention Of The First Industrial Revolution1391 Words   |  6 PagesThe First Industrial Revolution Envision living in a society dominated by factories that just recently transformed from arable land and farms. Imagine constantly hearing about brand new inventions and ideas that were deemed impossible only a few years ago. Visualize working long hours in cramped factories, in exchange for low pay and contagious diseases. For some people that lived during the age of industrialization, this was their reality of life. During the 18th and 19th century, the world wasRead MoreThe First Signs Of Industrial Revolution1509 Words   |  7 PagesIndustrial revolution started in 1750 Europe, namely Britain. (It moved over into the United States around the late 17th century--early 18th century). At first it was about upgrading people living standards. Before the industrial revolution many Americans worked as farmers. A farmer could usually make his own shoes, and the women spent their days making soap and candles. They also cooked, raised the kids, and spun yarn. Any manufacturing was done at home such as clothing, furniture, tools, clothRead MoreThe First And Second Industrial Revolutions2597 Words   |  11 PagesThe first and second industrial revolutions reconstructed the global economy. Manufacturing shifted from the simple artisan shop to the massive factory. 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According to Princeton University â€Å"Economic historians are in agreement that the onset of the Industrial Revolution is the most important event in the history of humanity since the domestication of animals and plants† (Princeton par. 6). The First Industrial Revolution brought along machines, a capitalist economy, and trade expansion. Machines increased productivity, capitalistRead MoreThe First Industrial Revolution During The 19th Century Essay1889 Words   |  8 PagesThe First Industrial Revolution started prior to the 18th century in the 1700’s. The prior events that started up the industrial revolution began with some innovations that were very basic, but are key to the rise of the revolution. These were small hand tools, which had been created to work on houses/barns, live stalk, and so on. The most basic machines were invented in this time too, but giving the time for a revolution to app ear through these new ideas that had been created. The first IndustrialRead MoreWhy Did the Industrial Revolution First Begin in England?806 Words   |  4 PagesWhy was Britain the first country to industrialize? The industrial revolution, which occurred during the hundred years after 1780, was a true european revolution. It was in England that the industrial revolution first took hold. This change, which occurred between 1750 and 1830, happened because conditions were perfect in Britain for the Industrial Revolution. Having used wood for heat instead of coal, Britain was left with large deposits of coal remaining to fuel the new ideas. Any raw suppliesRead MoreThe Labor Force since the First Industrial Revolution Essays912 Words   |  4 PagesLabor Force During the first Industrial Revolution, many social standards of the community were starting to change. Since there were new spinning and weaving machines available, the textile mill factories were built to increase their profit. The people who established these mills hired children and women to decrease their labor cost by paying them low wages and having poor working conditions for them as well. The Labor force impacted American culture through various means such as the child laborRead MoreThe Western Military Trajectory During The Gunpowder And First Industrial Revolutions2121 Words   |  9 Pagesthe impetuses for a military revolution stemming from non-Western stimuli. Innovations such as the composite bow (introduced by the Hyksos), cavalry (accredited to Assyria and Persia), the stirrup (attributed to China), gunpowder (China), crossbow (China), and cannons (China) have been attributed to non-Western regions; however, it is the Western militaries that exploited these innova tions to their full deadly potential and in the process created military revolutions. This paper will discuss how