The Social Impact of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution changed society in Britain in almost every aspect, changing not only that country, but the world. Changes in the social, economical, cultural, and even political ways of the country, affected it immensely The culture of Britain was one of the first things to change, throwing many people off. Before the Industrial Revolution, people had to be specialized in one area in order to get a job, and made a business out of whatever talent they developed. Things had to be handmade.

One example of this were the textiles. Textiles went through a long process in order to be made. They took weeks to make, and oftentimes had to be worked on my multiple people. The creation of two new machines, the Flying Shuttle Loom and the Spinning Jenny Loom, changed that completely. Now textiles could be made quickly, which meant that they could be mass produced. This also meant that the quality of the product would get better.

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Cities could have better businesses and started to grow.

Not only did the culture change, but the economics did too. Now that there was no need for specialized workers, many people lost their jobs. People were being replaced with machines. This only left one option, working in a factory. Often times, working in a factory could be a very dangerous job, and child labor was a big issue that came with that. But, as factories and businesses expanded, there was a high demand for workers, which was the opposite of what had happened before.

This had a huge impact on the people of Britain.

During the Industrial Revolution, trade unions began to gain political power. This helped the middle and lower classes gain protection. People began fighting for rights, minimum wage, and the ability to form unions within themselves. The government pushed back on a lot of these requests. The parliament even passed the Combinations of Workman Act of 1825, which simply stated that workers were not allowed to ask for these things.

Ultimately, the Industrial Revolution was a major stepping stone towards the modern world that we live in today. These revolutionary advancements truly did change the way societies worked, and has left a mark on almost every aspect of life today.