Question

why... The industrial revolution was a mixed blessing

Answer 1

The Industrial Revolution marks an important phase in the history of our civilization. It brought significant changes in the production methods of goods and also brought newer economic system of capitalism.

Industrial revolution was a mixed blessing due to many reasons:

It brought about the machine system of production where the production output was very high. However, it led to a decline of the traditional artisans, craftsmen in the colonies which served as markets for these products.The new factory system of production brought about huge profits for the owners but the working conditions of workers were very poor with no social security, long working hours without rest-periods, child labor and unsafe, unclean work environment.The urban landscape grew very fast but the cities were full of slums, squatter settlements, social and moral degradation of the society. The GDP was rising but not the happiness quotient of the working class.Capitalism bloomed but it meant profit only for few while the working class was undergoing misery and thus it led to rise of Socialism, an international movement for worker solidarity which was against the capitalist mode of production.It brought revolution in transportation which reduced distances but at the same time, the pollution levels too began to increase. Indeed since Industrial revolution, the CO2 added has increased manifolds and its negative impacts have begun to appear as climate change.

Thus, industrial revolution had some disadvantages but largely, it was an event which changed the course of history with new modes of production, new political systems, ideologies, discoveries and inventions.


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