Give any 2 advantages and disadvantages of the industrial revolutions
Answers
The Industrial Revolution was era in which agrarian and handicraft economies shifted to industrial and machine-manufacturing-dominated ones. It started in United Kingdom in the 18th century and later spread throughout many other parts of the world. The following are some of the great benefits as well as some of the shortcomings connected with the Industrial Revolution.
Pro:
1) Machines began to produce product faster and cheaper than could be made by hand.With increase in the supply of various items , their cost to the consumer declined . Various items that enhance people’s quality of life became more common and less expensive. This brought an opening to foreign markets for these goods, and the balance of trade shifted in favor of the producer—which brought immense wealth to the companies that produced these goods and added tax revenue to government coffers.
As industrialization progressed, more and more rural folk flocked to the cities in search of better pay in the factories. To increase the factories’ overall efficiency and to take advantage of new opportunities in the market, factory workers were trained to perform specialized tasks. Factory owners divided their workers into different groups, each group focusing on a specific task. Some groups secured and transported to the factories raw materials (namely iron, coal, and steel) used in mass production of goods, while other groups operated different machines. Some groups of workers fixed machines when they broke down, while others were charged with making improvements to them and overall factory operation.
2) With more and more factories being set up, workers became more specialized, additional teachers and trainers were required to pass on specialized skills. In addition, the housing, transportation, and recreational needs of factory workers resulted in the rapid expansion of cities and towns. Governmental bureaucracies came forward to support these, and dedicated departments were created to handle traffic, sanitation, taxation, and other services. Other businesses also flourished within the towns as more builders, physicians, lawyers, and other workers were added to handle the various needs of the new residents.
Con:
1) In search of better wages many migrated to cities and industrial towns that were ill-prepared to handle them. Initial housing shortages in many areas gave way to construction booms and the development of modern buildings. Local sewerage and sanitation systems were overwhelmed by the sudden influx of people, and drinking water was often contaminated. People living in such close proximity, fatigued by poor working conditions, and drinking unsafe water led to outbreaks of infectious diseases.
2) The world’s modern environmental problems began by the Industrial Revolution. To run the factories and to sustain the output of each and every type of manufactured good, natural resources were transformed which reduced the planet’s stock of valuable natural capital.