Industrialization is the process by which an economy is transformed from primarily agricultural

to one based on the manufacturing of goods. Individual manual labor is often replaced by
mechanized mass production, and craftsmen are replaced by assembly lines.

Industrialization is not only an engine for employment, wealth and technical

skill, but an engine for the development of technology. Modern conveniences,
medical advances, changes in lifestyle, education, popular living locations,
transportation development, machination - all of these are examples of how
industrialization has contributed to widespread and large scale changes to
how people live, and how well they live.

It is also probably the single greatest factor for the enlargement of and
migration to the cities. Take the explosion in the US population in the North
after 1865, for example, as a direct result of rapid industrial development.

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What are some of the

drawbacks of
industrialization?
By Andriy Blokhin | July 28, 2015 — 9:11 AM EDT

A:
In economic history, industrialization is the social and economic transformation of
the human group from an agrarian society to an industrial society. Environmental
 drawbacks include high pollution of air, water and soil that can result in significant
deterioration of quality of life and life expectancy. Because of industrialization,
there is a significant separation of labor and capital. Those who own the means
of production become disproportionately rich, resulting in high income inequality.
The migration of workers, the separation of family members, long working hours
and overcrowding leads to social tension and diseases due to poor nutrition and
stress.

Environmental Disadvantages
By far, the biggest negative effect of the industrialization is on the environment.
Because many companies that participate in industrialization are typically not
forced to pay damages for the environmental harm they cause, they tend to
impose a major negative externality on human society in the form of
deforestation, extinction of species, widespread pollution and excessive waste.

Financial Disadvantages
Financially, industrialization results in major separation between the rich and
poor due to a division of labor and capital. Those who own capital tend to
accumulate excessive profits derived from their economic activities, resulting in
high disparity of income and wealth.

Social Disadvantages
Industrialization typically leads to the migration of workers to cities, automation
and repetitive tasks. Due to these factors, factory workers tend to lose their
individuality, have limited job satisfaction and feel alienated.

Rapid urbanization typically leads to general deterioration of workers' quality of

life and many other problems for society, such as crime, stress and psychological
disorders. Long working hours usually lead to poor nutrition and consumption of
quick and low-quality foods, resulting in increased incidences of diseases such
as diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
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