Mechanization was one of those things that changed the social and economic structure of the 19th century society, as inventions and technological innovations created the factory system of large-scale machine production. K. Marx noted, “As a machine, the means of labor acquires a material form of existence that makes possible the replacement of human effort by the forces of nature and empirical, routine procedures by the conscious application of natural science” (K. Marx and F. Engels, Soch., 2nd ed, vol. 23, p. 397). Until the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, the labor was manual, and the number of tools that a person could operate at one time was limited. The industrial revolution created conditions for mechanization …show more content…
Each of these three factors helped to create the modern industrial society with the vision of mass production and the assembly line. The first use of assembly line production was in the ship building industry which later spread onto the automobile industry. Many industries, firearms, clocks and watches, horse-drawn vehicles, railway locomotives, sewing machines, and bicycles, saw mass production as they shifted to special purpose machinery. The assembly line process meant separation of a work process into a number of tasks, with each task performed by a separate person or group of persons. The consequent reduction in production time and the ability to replace craftsmen with lower-paid, unskilled workers resulted in lower production costs and less expensive final product. The Scottish economist Adam Smith saw this splitting of tasks as a key to economic progress by providing a cheaper and more efficient means of producing …show more content…
The increased efficiency of the new mechanized factories reduced the cost of consumer goods and laid them well within the reach of the working class. As Frank Lloyd Wright said, Mechanization best serves mediocrity. The use of advanced machines in farming made agricultural production cheaper. Food prices declined and people had more money to spend on manufactured goods. A decline in transport costs helped create a rapid expansion of global trade and economic growth. The rise of new industries and factories led to the generation of more jobs in the manufacturing sector. When the mass production of the Industrial Revolution flooded the market with affordable consumer goods, these manufactured goods greatly improved the living conditions of the citizens of these industrialized countries. The middle class population could afford the goods anyway, the prices lowered even more, they now had different options to choose from, they could enjoy the comfort and convenience of the new products being made. The standard of living rose, the cost of living decreased, the population experienced a large
Many resources were expanding due to mass production. Mass production was a system used in factories for production of goods. This system included machineries, workers, and assembly lines. For example, the textbook refers to a figure chart that gives a list of many industries in retrospect to mass production that added more value to the goods. Industries such as cotton textiles, men’s clothing, and shoes
With the American Industrial Revolution in full swing, the shift in society was prevalent. In the late 19th century the growth of the industry moved Americans from rural farms to factories. This shift in mass production, made production faster and cheaper. Although the United States prevailed as the powerhouse of production, it came with some sacrifices. The factory worker was unskilled and paid a low wage.
The Industrial Revolution was a period between both the seventeen as well as eighteen hundreds, and was mainly acknowledged as a time of immense change. Throughout the numerous years, various inventions were shortly to be developed such as the refined Newcomen steam engine, the cotton mill machine, and most importantly, the water frame. These modern developments certainly affected the revolution positively, though after several years however, factories for these inventions were eventually to be manufactured. The factories in particular were privately operated by wealthy factory owners who required others to complete the complex tasks. According to the wealthy operators, the less fortunate of mankind were required to complete these hazardous duties.
Henceforth trade became more efficient and faster paced in correspondence with the high productivity of the factories. “(Before the Industrial Revolution), one person doing all five required steps in manufacturing a product can make one unit, (but during the Industrial Revolution), five people, each specializing in one of the five steps, can make ten units in the same time” (Document 4). New methods in manufacturing increased productivity. Since products were manufactured faster, the output of the product increased as well as the economic prosperity. With the growth of the economy an
The Industrial Revolution shaped the growing economy at the time in many positive and negative aspects. The Industrial Revolution took place during the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s and was considered to be the “New Industrial.” Many things were brought to the economy at the time due to this occurring; some in which being machinery, technology, production of goods, and even performance. The economy was not the only thing greatly affected by this revolution but the farmers, the working-class, and the middle-class were also affected to a deep extent.
As a result more goods to produce, and more job opportunities for citizens. The Industrial Revolution also improved the standard living for city dwellers, who prior to the Industrial Revolution worked 16 hours at lower wages. Next, farmers move to cities increasing population among cities. Most of the cities changed social conduct, and political movements. 2.-
From hiring many men, each dedicated to producing a single, identical piece over and over for a specific item, finished goods were completed faster and the prices went down. Parts for machines became interchangeable, leaving repairs and replacements easy and less expensive since they no longer had to be utterly replaced, or the pieces custom-made. Efficient looms, plows, and other devices were also created, often using the newest models of machines in Britain as their base for inventing. These inventions were often used in the south to increase efficiency and crop wield, such as the cotton gin and better plows that took half the work. Strangely enough, this heightened efficiency in cotton harvesting resulted in more slaves.
“As the Industrial Revolution spread to the United States, plants such as this textile factory appeared.” (Document 3) Textile factories were a big part in the rapid growth in product production. Textile factories produced clothing and other items that required cloth or cotton. If textile mills weren’t around then the U.S. would have to import all of these items making the economy go down. “In the graphic showing different methods of manufacturing, the cars were being made faster than anywhere else allowing the U.S. to export more than import.”
The Industrial Revolution was from 1750 to 1830, a period of time that caused an economical and cultural shift. This era brought a mix of positive and negative effects that not only affected the area it was in but also its surroundings. In result of the revolution there was the cottage industry, agriculture, harsh labor within the system of factory- based manufacturing that included complex machinery, the growth of technology, new resources and the development of transportation. Also the series inventions that increased the production of manufactured goods, which then led to the increased size in the population. A series of the positive effects that came from the industrialization mostly came from the factory owners and the individuals who were above the middle class.
The growth of industries transformed American society and culture in numerous ways. The introduction of the assembly line and mass production revolutionized manufacturing and led to a rapid production rate. The growth of the automobile industry was especially significant, as cars became more affordable and accessible to the average American. Some saw the innovations as progress for the future, while others were critical of the effects of industrialization on society and the environment. Innovative machinery was highly regarded, but there were different perceptions of its
In order for assembly lines to work more efficiently people were employed. “A quote regarding the impact of railroads shows a positive effect in the improvement of travel” (Document 5). In order to improve travel, railroads needed to be built; as a result new job opportunities arose. Many people were hired to build
The Industrial Revolution brought many changes to the lifestyle and way work was completed for citizens of Britain between 1750 and 1900. Machines that provided effective, cheap and fast production of goods began to replace the jobs once held by people. This development effected many groups of workers, but especially those in the textile industry. The introduction of machinery had a significant impact on the lives of these industrial workers due to the low and high demand for goods, unfair wages and unhealthy and dangerous working conditions it inaugurated. The lives of industrial textile workers were significantly impacted by the Industrial Revolution.
Industrialization after the Civil War One of the most remarkable consequences of the Civil war was the industrialization of the United States, which transformed the economy of the country. While certain industries, such as textiles and clock making saw industrialization during the first half of the nineteenth century, it was not until the Civil War that industrialization spread throughout America. The Civil War spurred the process of industrialization and encourages new production techniques that would have the greatest impact after the end of the war. Some of the significant reasons for the delay of industrialization of America after the Civil War were social, economic, political, geographic and legal reasons. The industrialization affected various groups of the society belonging to distinct races and ethnic backgrounds.
The factory system assisted the economy to grow because the previous system was falling behind as it tried to provided for the great demand of goods. The rising middle class also helped for the factory system because those people could afford more expensive goods like cotton ore china. It occurred to traders that they could mass produce goods in greater quantity at a cheaper price, they could find more consumers and make a higher profit. Cycle works as follows: increased consumer demand prompts entrepreneurs to invest in machines to speed up production, and thereby increase profit. Profit from increase production used to invest further innovations and inventions.
The invention of new machines such as tractors and threshing machines resulted in bigger harvests and the sale of agricultural produce for profit. The development of steam-powered machines and the popularisation of the production line in factories during this period led to more products manufactured in greater amounts for sale, steering up the cycle of demand and supply for the rapidly increasing population. It is therefore evident that the Industrial Revolution was a pivotal turning point in human history as it led to massive changes in the economy and the traditional way of living life for a great