Inducstrial Revolution's Effects

3 Pages 792 Words

Social Studies 20 – Module 2
Section 1 Assignment: The Industrial Revolution and it’s Effects on the Modern World

The world is better off today because of the Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution not only changed manufacturing and technology, but also the way that people live their everyday lives. The Industrial Revolution started in England in the late 1700s. British people started to use machines to make textiles and steam engines to run machines. Sometime after that locomotives were invented. By 1850 most Englishmen had left their farms and small towns and were laboring in industrial cities. Eventually the Industrial Revolution spread throughout Europe and to North America. The important changes of the Industrial Revolution were 1. The invention of machines to do work previously performed with the use of hand tools. 2. The use of steam in place of muscles. 3. The invention of the factory system. These inventions helped people in many ways. The workweek prior to the Industrial Revolution was around 84 hours; today the average person works about forty hours a week. Also, the work is not as physically demanding today, at work or in the home. Today people purchase goods like clothing and food at stores, where as prior to the revolution all these items had to be made in the home. Before the Industrial Revolution people who worked outside or inside the home worked much harder and longer than we do today. For example, a mother who stayed at home during the day would have spent most of her time preparing meals and staple foods like bread and cheese, as well as making and cleaning clothing, and gathering wood for the fire. Peoples’ homes are more spacious today, with emanates like electricity and running hot and cold water. We also have entertainment and other luxury items, which make our everyday lives more enjoyable. Because of the Industrial Revolution, people today have more material items as well as more free tim...