What Was the Cause and Effect of Industrialization?
According to Dr. Guillermo Grenier of Florida International University, technology changes were the primary cause of the Industrial Revolution. The main effects of the Industrial Revolution included more employment opportunities, labor laws, ecological harm and the encouragement of new political philosophies.
Technological advances were a product of a series of events during the agrarian era. The invention of mechanical engineering provided opportunities to make products quicker. During Industrialization, this led to mass production and standardization within factories, according to Professor Patricia Ryaby Backer of San Jose State University.
With the ability to create identical pieces, it was easy to train employees to work the machines. As more factories opened, there were more job opportunities for unskilled workers, especially immigrants. The poor working conditions, however, spurred the ideas of socialism and communism into mainstream philosophy in the United States. Factories producing pollution without restrictions also created harm to the surrounding environment.
According to Eastern Illinois University, labor law advocates began work in the late 1800s. Due to this work, child labor laws and ones requiring certain safety regulations passed state legislatures. This trend remained through the first period of the 1900s with even more limits on working conditions after several high-profile accidents.
