The Industrial Revolution sparked lots of new innovations from the 1700’s to1850’s, in the west. Such innovations led to many positive and negative social, economical, and environmental changes. Although Western Europe and the Americas stayed the same socially because middle class men earned the most of the money in the family, it changed economically because of the replacement of the putting out system with the factory system. It also changed environmentally, because of the need for more fuel for the new engines to burn.
Although women and children were able to gain new legal rights, their social positions in their families stayed the same. In the beginning of the time period lower class women were given small tasks, but mainly had to look after the house hold. In the middle class and aristocracy women did not work outside the household and had no say in public affairs. Toward the end of the time period the role of women remained lowly.
Although women of the working class were able to get jobs in mines and factories, the conditions were brutal, the pay was low, and the positions were seen as unskilled and looked down upon.In middle and upper class women stayed home with men as the sole providers of the household. This was due to the fact the men were able to earn an even higher stature due to a new values in discipline and self improvement. New labor systems brought dramatic difference economically. In the beginning of the time period preindustrial labor systems like the putting out system were slow and hardly efficient.
The introduction of interchangeable parts, an idea by Eli Whitney, was able to bring forth the factory system.This required high coordination, but it led to positive economical impacts like more jobs, faster production, and cheaper prices. This economic boost as a result of more exports and all in all trade, gained popularity with other eastern countries like Russia and Japan, which led to government supported industrialization there as well. Unfortunately, the factory system also led to frequent accidents and worker protests.
The Industrial Revolution also succeeded in changing things environmentally for the worst.To start off, deforestation was already a major problem in Britain, even before factories came around, but the steam engine only worsened the situation. Along with water vapor, steam engines also let out coal exhaust, and with the continuity in deforestation, there weren’t enough trees to refresh the levels of clean air; therefore leading in pollution. The clearing of land in order to build railroads certainly did not help either, but the effects are still evident.All because of the growing need to urbanize and improve. During this time period, the world was being influenced dramatically by western powers like Europe and North America.
New technology, ideas, labor systems were able to influence the world in great ways, some countries industrialized as well, like Japan and Russia, and others remained agricultural suppliers like South Africa and South America, but their overall international “job” was still impacted.Although deforestation remained the same, lots of negative environmental factors where added during the industrial revolution, like the clearing of land and pollution. The replacement of the putting out system with the factory system too influenced the world since certain countries gained international commercial importance. One of the continuities from the 1700’s to the 1850’s is patriarchy in families of all social classes, even after the Declaration of Sentiments at the Seneca Fall convention.
