Final answer:
Factory work during the Industrial Revolution led to a shift from skilled artisanal production to mechanized processes by low-paid, unskilled laborers. Workers endured long hours, and dangerous conditions, and had strict oversight over their personal lives, resulting in disconnect and hardship despite greater access to consumer goods.
Step-by-step explanation:
Factory work significantly impacted workers' lives during the Industrial Revolution, and its aftermath has been a subject of historical study. Industrialization meant that production shifted from skilled artisans to mechanized production by low-paid, unskilled laborers.
While workers gained access to new consumer goods made cheaper through mass production, they paid the price through long work hours, strict working rules, and often dangerous and unhealthy working conditions. Additionally, their personal lives were strictly regulated by the factory owners, leading to a loss of control over work lies and a disconnect from the products they created.
The assembly line introduced by Ford represented a significant change in the manufacturing process. Although it did lead to the opportunity for more jobs and increased worker productivity, it also contributed to job monotony and repetitiveness. Most skilled positions were eliminated, which hindered upward mobility and increased the workers' disconnection from their labor. Ultimately, the pursuit of profit by factory owners often led to the exploitation of laborers, including long hours, low wages, and inhumane work conditions, for both men and women, and even children.