Example research essay topic: Quality Of Life Industrial Revolution - 1,018 words

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ter> Industrial Change in Britain: 'There was frequent and widespread discontent How accurate is this statement? The Industrial Revolution is a term describing the many changes that transformed Great Britain from approximately 1760 and 1830. The main feature was the change to the factory system that depended on power driven machinery instead of manpower and the rapid growth of the cotton industry. The Industrial Revolution occurred because the scientists and inventors used their imaginations to develop new products and to exploit the opportunities of booming markets. Examples of this occurred in the textile, pottery and iron industries.

The development of mining, particularly of the widespread use of coal, road improvements due to the road tolls, the building of canals, the growth of coastal shipping and the later rise of the railways were all crucial in the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain meant that the country could import cotton, woollen goods, iron and steel, machinery, hardware and coal on a huge scale. Other countries were not so industrialised therefore Great Britain had a strong advantage over them. Factory owners were able to move their products around the country more quickly, more cheaply and with greater safety than previously.

For example, Britains main fuel was coal. As the towns grew they needed more coal. The coal was heavy and difficult to transport by road. During this time many canals were built and soon a canal network made transporting coal, merchandise and communicating a lot easier. During the Industrial Revolution, the cotton industry rapidly increased with the invention of an improved spinning wheel powered by water. These machines were quickly mass-produced for factory use.

Factories could be built in the towns and employ many workers. The cotton industry saw rapid growth and needed many workers to keep it going. The increase in factories and employment meant that there was a huge amount of work to do. Many children obtained work in the factories instead of attending school. Before the Industrial Revolution, families worked hard but could also rest when they could not work. In the factories, children and adults alike were expected to work very long hours and hardly ever had free time at home.

In some cases, children worked from 3 am to 10 pm. Children could easily be trained to work in the textile industries because it was made up of simple tasks. Sunday was a day of rest, yet in some factories, the children had to turn up for work to clean the machinery. Adults needed the money to survive and were also subjected to the long hours. Most employers were cruel and harsh. Children were beaten and adults were dismissed or threatened with dismissal to keep them in line.

Factories were dirty and usually hot and dusty. Some workers became deformed or sick due to the unhealthy conditions. Many communities moved from agriculture to manufacturing. Work shifted from peoples homes and the small workshops to factories.

Many people moved from the countryside to the towns and cities where the factories and demand for workers were found. With the increase of families in the towns, came the need for a lot more housing in a smaller area than the rural areas. Houses were divided with sometimes a whole family living in a single room. Water was obtained from a communal tap and sewage flowed along open channels in the streets. This meant that there was a shortage of water and some people used the unclean water found in pools on the street.

There were many serious outbreaks of cholera and other sicknesses. The factories relied on coal to fuel the machinery powered by steam. With the demand for coal, came the demand for coalmines and workers to work within them. As with the factories, children were employed to do this as they were small and could fit into places adults could not. Pregnant women also worked the mines. There were many accidents and deaths in the mines.

The conditions were harsh and the hours were long. Apart from the long hours worked in the factories and mines, the workers had nothing to do except drink alcohol. There were drunken people on every corner and general misery everywhere. The Industrial Revolution enabled the increasing population to be clothed and fed, yet did not allow for their safety and quality of life.

The middle and the upper classes of society had increased prosperity and improved health. It was the lower classes, the thousands of workers in the factories and mines etc. that worked in harsh, unhealthy conditions for long hours, for money that was usually spent on food and alcohol, and had to live in crammed unhealthy conditions. The Luddite Riots occurring in March 1811 to January 1813 are an example of the frequent and widespread discontent. The riots were caused by major upset owing to unemployment and reduction of wages in the textile industry at a time of wartime depression, the increase of food prices, the ban on forming trade unions and outdated regulations concerning the fixing of wages and apprenticeship. Trouble started in Nottingham where disciplined groups naming a mythical King or General Ludd as the leader, destroyed the knitting frames that had flooded the market.

Outbreaks spread with the smashing of various machinery. With use of the military, the government followed a policy of severe repression with breaking of stocking frames being made a severe offence. Further outbreaks occurred periodically throughout the country. The Industrial Revolution brought many new technological advances but with them came frequent and widespread discontent. Although the Industrial Revolution did much for technology, the people suffered. Due to the long hours and very hard work the factory workers had to endure, they suffered disease outbreaks, work related illnesses and work related accidents.

Before the Industrial Revolution, the people were self-employed. After the Industrial Revolution, they worked for other people; therefore they lost control over their own lives and schedules. The people may have had jobs that provided food and clothing, but they did not have a quality of life, which is vital for every human being to be content.

Research essay sample on Quality Of Life Industrial Revolution