In the 18th and 19th centuries, America and Europe were experiencing massive growth in production and the use of machinery in mining and manufacturing. This is the point referred to as the Industrial revolution. With such massive growth in the economy, mining, employment, and increased production, people still question whether there are ways the industrial revolution benefited us. People also want to verse themselves with the cons of industrialization and its side effects.
Pros of industrialization
1. Goods were more affordable- As the production methods changed; the cost of production was drastically reduced. At this point, most families would manage to get something to meet their needs. Many people also moved into manufacturing goods on their basements.
2. The import and export markets were created in the world-The businesses and manufacturers increased the overall supply to the market. This means that countries had enough for their needs and would export the rest. What they didn’t produce was imported with ease.
3. The inventions saved on labor and time-With the increased demand and rapid production, industries were very vast in inventing methods that would save them time and money.
4. The approach to medicine came into light-Many advancements that were seen during this time sparked a light in the field of medicine. With time, it became possible to make more equipment and to focus on the health of the people.
5. The quality of life for average people was increased significantly-Now that people could afford most of their needs and there was more focus on health, the average life of people was changed.
6. More Job opportunities were created-The The industrialization increased the need for sophisticated production methods and immense labor requirements. For that reason, employment opportunities were created.
7. The rise of specialists-doctors came into existence to focus on the health of the people, engineers came to repair production plants, and lawyers would come in to settle common cases.
8. Industrial growth-The The name industrialization means that there was a noticeable growth in industries. This is what fueled the economy and the actual growth in living standards.
9. Growth in opportunities-with the growth in industrialization, there were more opportunities for everyone. Everyone had a chance to become better during this time.
10. Improvements in transport-now that countries started exporting and importing, there were better chances of improving the quality of roads, sea transport and coming up with better transport innovations.
Cons of industrialization
1. Slave trade due to an increase in labor demands. This is actually what led to the rise in the slave trade. Investors and companies would opt to kidnap people and exploit their energy for their own gains.
2. Pollution-manufacturing companies would rush to meet the new demands for their goods. For that reason, very few of them cared about the pollution and the environmental effects of their actions.
3. Poor working conditions– Factories found their way in the cities; some of the areas these factories were started grew into cities. The increase in the number of people living in the city increased and in no time led to the rise of slums and poor living conditions.
4. A rise in unhealthy habits-People was too busy to concentrate on their health. People also didn’t perform serious and strenuous physical activities, which led to the rise in health issues such as diabetes and cancer.
5. Hard labor. Working with machines was tiring and people were given little time to reconstruct. There were also many cases of accidents with the machine especially because of poor training. Workers were exploited and paid less for their hard works.
6. Loss of craftsmanship-before this time, people would make their items at home and utilize their creative minds to meet their needs. With the rise in industrialization, craftsmanship was lost.
7. Diseases-with the new lifestyles, you would expect that people had more serious chronic diseases such as heart attacks, cancer, and diabetes. This was also scaled by the exposure to pollutants.
8. Would easily exploit the poor. These merchants were also involved in leadership, which worsened the situation. The poor didn’t have an option to make decisions or even be involved in leadership.
9. Overcrowded cities-previously, people lived scarcely dispersed in the villages. With the rise in production and manufacturing, more people headed to the cities, which eventually led to overcrowding and poor living condition.
10. The insecurity-the rise in production and innovation also led to the rise in weaponry. The weapons made this time were sophisticated and increased the anxiety among the societies. There were increased chances of attacks and revenge, which put the lives of people in danger.
