The Positive Effects of Industrialization

The Industrial Revolution was the event that brought the world into the modern age. New ideas and inventions lead to the increase of trade and travel around the world with more efficient means of transportation and commerce, increased the productivity of businesses with factories and assembly lines, and improved the standards of living by making affordable products that made life easier. Without the Industrial Revolution, the world would not be what it is today.

Before the Industrial Revolution, in the 1700s, steam engines required great amounts of fuel to operate and were not very efficient. In 1765, James Watt designed a new type of steam engine that used less fuel, was faster, and was far more efficient than previous models. This new steam engine soon revolutionized travel with the creation of the Clermont by Robert Fulton. The Clermont carried many people along the Hudson River quickly and efficiently. The steam engine was then used in ships around the world as a very effective means of transporting goods to ports across long distances. The creation of the steam locomotive gave people the ability to transport tons of goods at high speeds on land. Locomotives were also used in the 1800s to transport hundreds of people at a time. Inventions like the steam engine assisted in the foundation of large cities far from ports allowing people to expand our civilization.

Businesses required workers to make products mostly by hand prior to the Industrial Revolution. Machines allowed for many products to be produced much faster, especially in the textile industry. The invention of the power loom allowed manufacturers to make large amounts of clothes much faster than weaving by hand. Assembly lines, where multiple people make and put together different parts of a product, were used for goods like furniture to quickly build, put together, and sell the product. Factories are a collection of multiple assembly lines to mass produce materials rapidly. Factories and assembly lines along side with new inventions lowered the prices of goods and created many jobs.

Along with these innovations, the Industrial Revolution improved people's lives as a whole. The standard of living increased because the decreased prices of manufactured goods allowed regular people to have furniture, clothes, and better housing. Growing businesses along with public projects such as the construction of buildings, roads, and canals, created many jobs that required little to no skill. As the Industrial Revolution continued the average income per family increased substantially, not only helping the common people but increasing the strength of the nation's economy as well.

The positive effects of the Industrial Revolution have made the world what it is today. Even the pessimist arguments against the Industrial Revolution, such as bad working conditions and child labor, have lead to positive outcomes with labor laws protecting employees from being taken