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The Industrial Revolution occurred in a time in history where things were changing, and quite quickly. The Industrial Revolution helped to further the change along that was happening in the world. This movement was significant in Europe, particularly in England. The Industrial Revolution had a great impact in the areas of manufacturing and innovation and because of this, it was positive for the world.

The Industrial Revolution produced many innovations and ideas. This meant that it was a positive thing for the world, especially for countries like England and the United States and for those people who were in the upper and middle classes. Production and subsequent exporting of these products greatly increased in 19th century England. This was clearly evidenced by the index number of world trade. In 1850, the index number in England was 10. By 1913, this number had heavily increased to 100. (Handout 22) This increased trade meant that Britain had become a leader in manufacturing products. Steam engines were an innovation that was greatly improved by the Industrial Revolution. The capacity of horsepower in a steam engine grew from 620 in 1840 to 13, 700 in 1896. (Handout 22) Trains were also greatly improved during this time. Travel time became much less expensive. More importantly, train travel became much faster, "ten times quicker than two hundred years ago." (Document 4) The betterment of train travel implies that people cared more about creating innovations and making improvements more than they ever had before. This was a product of the Industrial Revolution and it shows how things were changed in a positive way. Someone obviously had to create these innovations, which meant that there were more jobs because of the Industrial Revolution. A description of a village shows that of all the people who lived there, "all [who were] capable of work [were] employed in and about the mills." (Document 5) This was a positive effect of the Industrial Revolution, as it meant that people could work, as they no longer had farms to support them.

The Industrial Revolution was negative in some aspects, particularly for factory workers who had to deal with labor and issues of illness and for those whose businesses were affected because of monopolies. Those in the factories suffered the most from the Industrial Revolution. Factory work was incredibly dangerous and did not pay well. Workers had to contend with disease. Often, getting a disease was a result of acquiring a wound from a machine. These conditions of the factory were often unsanitary. There was much dust in the factory. (Document 2) People also suffered due to malnourishment and because they had little time off from working. There were issues with child labor laws in the factory as well. Children worked long hours, had insufficient diets, were punished with straps if they did something wrong and had no time to attend school. (Document 1) The Industrial Revolution caused