Industrial Revolution

Introduction

The world underwent a major transformation during the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution ushered in a new age of technological advancements and did away with the agrarian way of life. Industrialization was characterized by the shift from manual labor to mechanized bulk production of goods (Sakolsky, 19). The artisans were also replaced by the technological advantages of assembly lines, rendering their services obsolete. It is estimated that the industrial revolution began from 1700s and continued well into the early 1900s. In these years, the world experienced many changes in their lifestyle. The industrial revolution to the American way of life was largely beneficial yet detrimental on some level.

The industrial revolution largely contributed to how the world’s population is structured today. Its effect on population cannot be ignored. It is essential to note that America’s population increased because of the effects of industrialization. This was brought about by the fact that Europeans wanted to find new opportunities elsewhere in the world. America offered Europeans this chance for a new beginning.

Video Review

The video, New York: A Documentary Film is a movie that explores the history of New York City. It reveals the effects of the high population in Europe and how rapid population growth affected America during the industrial period. The high population caused political upheaval where people blamed other races for the problems Europe faced in the industrial revolution. Emma Lazarus a Jew in Russia in 1883 wrote a poem of liberty that gave hope to the oppressed of the continent. America was a land where they could enjoy freedom and lead better lives. The Statue of Liberty was erected by the French in honor of the poem and was given to New York. This statue served as a beacon of promise for every one who wished to have a better life.

The poem reveals that in the years that followed, there was a great influx of people from Europe. However, this time, the people did not come from the West of Europe but form the South and East of the continent. All the immigrants from Europe came in through the New York before they dispersed into other cities around America. The massive number of immigrants who made it to New York provided a steady supply of cheap labor that propelled New York to the mighty industry it was and still is today.

The film also reveals the fear America had of the new immigration. The fears were that the immigrants would destroy the country. However, America became the largest economy in the world due to this influx of immigrants. This influx was driven by the fact that the immigrants knew that America was the land of opportunity, their second chance at life (New York: A Documentary Film). Even though many immigrants failed, most of them were successful and this success translated in to the American economy.

Urbanization

The industrialization period led to the urbanization and the development cities. Urbanization refers to the increased number of people within localized area leading to the development of industries, commerce and the emergence of residential areas. The increase in population in the American urban areas was largely due to the number of immigrants who came into the country looking for better opportunities. The other reason for the rapid population growth was due to the existence of better transport systems that made it possible for people to travel long distances faster than was the case before (Urbanization of America, ch 2 p. 11). The industrial revolution modernized the transport system by enabling the construction of roads, bridges, railways and even ship.

Another effect of industrialization was the fact that large factories emerged leading to the demand for labor where the industries could be found. This led to the emergence dense immigrant populations surrounding the factories and the growth of population in the America cities. Consequently, there was a demand for residential accommodation units around these factories. Industrialization brought about the need for setting up administrative structures to run these cities and take care of its immediate needs. The industrial revolution also increased the production of goods services. This, in effect, improved commerce leading to the emergence of businesses. This also required that people concentrate in one area for trade purposes. The cities continued to fill up with few people wanting to move.

In the 1900s, the colonial facade of the city was alarmingly fading as the immigrants continued to flock into the country. The open city system was quickly becoming a closed state. One could hardly find any space in the residential areas. Buildings were taller, and the natural environment faded into the ugliness of the man made world. Manhattan’s population in 1900 was somewhat of a wonder. An average of 2.2 million people lived within a 22 square mile radius, averaging about 100,000 people living within a 100 square miles(Urbanization of America, ch 2 p. 11).

This population concentration in the late 19^th century and the early 20^th century American cities was inherently due to the transport system. A massive number of people could be transported to America using ships that had large carrying capacity. As a result, the city’s populations expanded exponentially. Another factor was that the cheaper transportation of goods and services using water predisposed investors to construct factories near the water. This also increased the number of the work force who lived next to the factories. Again, the cost of traveling on land made people opt to walk to work. To avoid walking long distances, people lived closer to their places of work and hence the high population levels.

The concentration in the cities continued with the development of the railroad in the 1820 (Urbanization of America, ch 2 p. 10). The cost of transporting a ton of goods for every mile by rail was cheaper that doing so using a wagon. The manufactures adopted the use of the rail since it gave them an opportunity to save more by spending less. This meant that populations concentrated next to the railway stations so that they could gain easy access to the railway line. The other technology that led to dense population was the development of the elevator and the discovery of steel frame building. This enabled people to build taller buildings that could house more people. This was a big contributor to the population increase in the cities.

The trends in housing over the years have changed dramatically. Technological advancements and further increase in population as led to man adopting new residential schemes. When the city got too crowded, the people started to venture out into the open land. The farther one went away from the city, the thinner it got. With the invention of the automobile, people could move freely within a city covering long distances in just a short time. This brought about the rise of the suburbs (Urbanization of America, ch 2 p. 18).

Negative Influence of Industrialization

The advantages of the industrial revolution are countless. Despite the good side, the industrial revolution encouraged degradation in social moral standards. In the new urban set up, crime rates went up to an alarming rate. This was because of the social injustices brought about by the new economic state of affairs. Not every one who went looking for work in the America succeeded, yet they need to survive. The situations in the American urban centers were deplorable. The urban areas were filthy due to poor sanitary measures in the cities. People could hardly find enough to eat (Urbanization of America, ch 2 p. 22). Consequently, the high levels of unemployment were elevated and consequently so did the crime. The levels of unemployment also made the people aware of the economic inequalities of the period creating a lot of unrest and feelings of dissatisfaction.

Poverty was rampant. People seeking for a better life found themselves unable to provide for themselves. For some, “supper was the only meal of the day” (London, 239). This made children start working as early as “seven years of age” (London, 240). Child labor was one of the ills of the industrial age. Children who were supposed to be in school could be found in factories all over in Europe and America. This did not equip them to be any better when they became of age and started fending for themselves. The cycle of poverty was in this sense never ending. The other negative aspect of the industrial revolution was the high levels of pollution in the cities. The level of industry in the country led to air environmental degradation. The industrial wastes for example were drained into water bodies that greatly affected the sanitary level of the cities such as New York (Urbanization of America, ch 2 p. 21).

The industrial revolution ushered the world into a phase of technological might. Since then, man has depended on technology for virtually anything. The benefits of technology to man are more than man could ever document. However, the dependence of technology predisposes humanity to the problems of the industrial age. Yes, the world is more technologically advanced today, but the problems arising from an economy run on technology have also advanced.

Works Cited

Burns, Ric, dir. New York: A Documentary Film. PBS, 1999. Film. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLrpzApTFIc&playnext=1&list=PL40644E43574ABF9C&feature=results_main

London, Jack, Earle Labor, Robert C. Leitz, and I M. Shepard. The Complete Short Stories of Jack London: Volume One. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1993. Print.

Sakolsky, Josh. Critical Perspectives on the Industrial Revolution. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2005. Print.

Urbanization of America, Chapter 2