Social Consequences of the Industrial Revolution
Two significant social consequences of the First Industrial Revolution were working conditions in the factories and urban living conditions from the growth of cities. The Industrial Revolution of the 1700s was a time of drastic change and a major move towards technological and social and economic changes. Socially, this was a transfer from a largely rural population in which a livelihood from agricultural and artisan craftsmanship moved towards urban centers which engaged in factory manufacturing (Fitzgerald, 2000). This was the forefront to a new way of life. The Industrial Revolution grew out of the development of the Industrial Economy with the appearance of factories from the technological inventions in several areas such as mining, iron, chemicals, and steam power. It was steam power that drove a widespread growth of several areas in particular the textile industry. Out of this innovation a new concept of the industrialized factory was introduced to society. The factory would be largely responsible for the growth of urbanization as workers moved to these urban areas in search of employment at the new factories (Fitzgerald, 2000). Due to the urbanization of these cities, the infrastructure could not keep up with the population growth. These urban areas became inundated with people looking for work. Urban areas lacked decent housing, sanitary codes, education, and police protection. The densely packed and poorly constructed homes contributed to the spread of diseases.
There were usually four to six to a room. Bathrooms were usually shared if there were any available or working (Fitzgerald, 2000). Water was not filtered in any way, and was one of the main sources of disease spread from the unsanitary conditions. Crime was one of the biggest consequences of urbanization. The biggest catalyst in the increase