Question

Merits and Demerits of industrialization

Answer 1

Advantages

(i) Centre of economic life shifted from the villages to cities and towns where the factories were situated.
(ii) Urban (cities) and rural (villages) life became dependant upon one an­other. Isolated life of self-sufficient villages came to an end.
(iii) Men became free to develop their capabilities in areas other than farming.

Disadvantages

(i) Cities became crowded, smoky, with problems of slums, housing, sanitation accidents and epidemics.
(ii) Women and child labour was badly exploited.
(iii) Workers suffered from long working hours, low wages, and unemployment, unsafe conditions of work, with no rights to vote strike or form trade unions.

Answer 2

The merits and demerits of industrialisation are as follows.

Merits

1. Industrialisation provides employment.

2. Industrialisation leads to innovations and inventions.

3. It leads to development of towns and cities.

Demerits

1. It can result in people shifting from traditional occupations to industries.

2. Farming sector is affected most as more people move from farming to jobs in industries.

3. Rapid and unplanned industrialisation results in crowded and polluted areas.

4. Large-scale production leads to rapid exhaustion of natural resources.