In your opinion....?

Question

Do you think the industrial revolution was a Problem, Progress or a promise?

Answer 1

Problem - the exploitation of the working class, a decline in culture caused by a mixing of social classes, a decline in education as the humanities were no longer essential for working in a factory or contributing to technology.

Progress - mass production (and availability) of goods, capitalism, greater social equality.

Promise - equality, justice, stability (via the middle class), the opportunity for all levels of an industiralized civilization to live a life suited for royalty in all previous ages.

Answer 2

All three :)

That is a serious answer--historical events--especially those as extensive in their scope as the Industrial Revolution--are never simply either/or.

For many working people at teh time, the IR was definately a problem If you read E.P. Thompsons "Making of the English Working Class" (lotsa luck--its 800+ pages) you'll see that whole generaations of workers lived in poverty and misery. Many had started as farmers with a reasonably good life, but were forced by circumstances into the brutal environment of the early factories.

But there was progress as well. Technical innovation combined with more efficient organization of work to greatly increase the production of manufactured goods--and within that was also a promise--that the technological progress and economic growth would eventually lead to a better life for everyone. Which it did--eventually. In the industrialized countries, even by the early 20th century, the majority of people were better off--higher living standards, longer lifespans, etc. (obviouuslythis wasn't the case for all--but on the average it was true).

So, as I said--you have a mix. There were problems aplenty (I only touched on the most obvious)--but thre was also real progress in technological and economic terms--and eventually in social and political terms as well. And the IR held--and eventually realized--a promise of real improvements for most people.

Answer 3

Progress

Answer 4

Progress. If we didn't have the industrial revolution, we wouldn't be where we are today in terms of technology and industry.

Answer 5

all progress creates problems but with out progress there wouldnt be anything to work on so it fixes all our problems : )