Discuss the Social Consequences of Industrial Revolution
Answer
In England
- Towns that flourished in ancient and medieval ages have lost glory, giving place to new cities developed in and around factories.
- England witnessed the rise of two classes in these new cities are
- Capitalist class and
- Working class.
- As the workers settled in huge numbers in cities their living places have turned as slums, where hunger and unhygienic prevailed.
- This also gave rise to problems of housing, water scarcity etc.
- Workers had to work under conditions not congenial and hygienic.
- They had to work in places without proper passage of air and sufficient light.
- They didn’t have fixed duration of work.
In Europe
- Many Industries were conveniently located for the supply of raw material, power generators and means of transportation.
- Peasants have reached the cities that turned as workers.
- The customs, tradition, moral values and the very life style of the people underwent a great change.
- As the socio-cultural remnants of ancient and medieval ages are disappearing the dazzling picture of modern life was unveiling.
- The life worker has become wretched. Adding fuel to fire, the increase in the number of workers has decreased their wages.
- Women and children were also forced to drudgery.
- With exception of Scotland, there was no other nation cared for the education and health of the worker and his family.
In India
- Peasants left their traditional cultivation, and forced to cultivate cotton in large scale.
- Indigo farmers started to lose their remuneration and importance due to the commercialised production of dyes.
- Due to modern machineries, the cottage industry collapsed.
- The artisans who hither to enjoyed individual status and respect had to return to the farms.
- Domestic products started to lose their values, since people started to buy foreign goods.
Rest of the world
- Fascination towards industries also drove some people to the cities, which joined the working class.
- The people from different areas flocking together led to the rise heterogeneous culture.
- The products of the cottage industry could not compete with the machine products as the machine products were finer and cheaper.
