Question

What are some neutral effects of the industrial revolution?

Answer 1

The clear positive is the great enrichment of the world as a whole since that time. Industrialization made the nations of the world wealthy. The standard of living of every nation in the world has gone up as a result of the Industrial Revolution. We would not be where we are now if not for that. As of right now, almost every job that used to be done by animal or human muscle power is done by machines, powered first by steam, then by internal combustion engines. Lifespans are longer, quality of life is higher, productivity is unimaginably more than it was before the machine age, and our ability to feed and care for ourselves is far, far greater. The automobile, train, and airplane have given us freedom that could scarcely have been dreamed of 250 years ago. We have personal leisure time, and ways to spend that time, that could not have been imagined then, either. For this we give thanks.

The downsides were and are many. For the first hundred years or more the tech outpaced humanity; the steam engine made riches possible that trumped kindness. The cruelty of child labor, the sweat shops, the exploitation of natural resources at the expense of indigenous races, the inhuman treatment of factory and mine workers, the company towns and slums, even the continuation of slavery in America to the middle of the 19th century, are results of the Industrial Revolution. We can also thank the Industrial Revolution for the rise of Communism and Socialism, both of which were reactions to the cruelty of the 19th century factory system and both of which still plague us today. And certainly our incredibly destructive weapons of war would never have been invented if guns were still being made one at a time in craftsmans’ shops.

Most of these excesses were eventually addressed and have been fixed. Too late for their 19th century victims, but addressed even so. Tech is what it is; if you are inventing a passenger plane, you are also inventing a bomber. If you are inventing a steamship, you are also inventing a warship. No invention is good or bad; people handle that end of the equation. So it was with the airplane, and so it was with the steam engine that made the Industrial Revolution happen.

Answer 2

Answer: Some neutral effects of the Industrial Revolution include the increased production of goods, the creation of new jobs, and the growth of cities. The Industrial Revolution also led to improvements in transportation and communication, which made it easier for people to travel and communicate with each other. However, the Industrial Revolution also had negative effects, such as poor working conditions, environmental pollution, and the exploitation of workers, particularly children.

Explanation: The Industrial Revolution was a time of significant economic and social change that began in the late 18th century and continued into the 19th century. The shift from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing led to increased production of goods and the creation of new jobs in factories, which led to the growth of cities as people moved from rural areas to urban centers in search of work. The Industrial Revolution also brought about improvements in transportation and communication, such as steam-powered ships and trains, and the telegraph which revolutionized communication. However, the Industrial Revolution also had negative effects, including poor working conditions, environmental pollution, and the exploitation of workers, especially children. Overall, the Industrial Revolution had both positive and negative effects on society.