Industrial Revolution

Everything we do from the food we eat to the electricity we use affects the world around us. But it was not always that way. Industrialization changed the way that created everything, from food and energy to sanitation and manufacturing technologies. The Industrial Revolution is defined as the changes in manufacturing and transportation that began with fewer things being made by hand but instead made using machines in large scale factories. The First Industrial Revolution began in England in about 1750–1760 that lasted to sometime between 1820 and 1840. It is one of the most distinguished turning points in human history. Before the Industrial Revolution common people of the world were poor. During the Industrial Revolution, the social, cultural, and political situation has changed. Also during this period human and animal labor technology transformed into machineries, such as the steam engine, the spinning jenny, coke smelting, puddling and rolling processes for making iron, etc. We are now living in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Despite some problems, several positive effects happened during the Industrial Revolution. That provided a better quality of life for most people. It shifted to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. The wealth of the nation had increased. It gave plentiful jobs and people could earn higher wages in factories than on farms and wore better clothing. It also improved systems of transportation, communication, and banking. Before the Industrial Revolution families were rural, large, and self-sustaining. During the Industrial Revolution greatly increased the production of goods. It raised the standard of living for many people, particularly for the middle and upper classes. It provided healthier diets, better housing, and cheaper, mass-produced clothing. It expanded educational opportunities for rich families. Due to the Industrial Revolution, the following developments have happened among the nations; agricultural productivity started to rise, urbanization increased, business increased, the more sophisticated market economy began, the rule of law expanded, an invention of scientific models and instruments, the invention of new types of machinery, discoveries of various items, and the invention of new technologies.

By far, the biggest negative effect of industrialization is on the environment. Pollution is the most common by-product of the Industrial Revolution. However, the degradation of ecological systems, global warming, greenhouse gas emission, and the adverse effect on human health has garnered widespread concern. The coal that powered factories and warmed houses polluted the air dangerously. Textile dyes and other wastes poisoned river water. After the Industrial Revolution life for the poor and working classes continued to be filled with challenges. Cities became over-crowding, workers faced a lack of housing, poor sanitary conditions, disease, and poverty. With this industrialization lot of people are suffered from lung cancers, tuberculosis, cholera, and other diseases and died.

The Industrial Revolution began a period of economic growth and prosperity which we call the modern era. Development of the textile industry, iron and steel industry, various chemical production, agricultural revolution, improvement of transportation, etc. had happened during this period. As a result, the global population had increased rapidly. But, in some cases, society has to face unanticipated disasters during industrialization processes. These disasters are caused by industrial companies, either by accident, negligence, or incompetence. Many examples are provided by history about that. They are Centralia mine fire, Bhopal disaster, Beirut explosion, Patel Mimlet dam failure, etc. These events are revealed that expanding industrialization in developed and developing countries without concurrent evolution in safety regulations could have catastrophic consequences. Also, national governments and international agencies should focus on widely applicable techniques for corporate responsibility and accident prevention as much in the developing world context as in advanced industrial nations. Specifically, prevention should include risk reduction in location, design, and safety legislation.

References

Broughton, E., 2005. The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, pp. 01-06.

Mohajan, H. K., 2019. The First Industrial Revolution: Creation of a New, Chittagong: Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities.