Essay Writing Practice task - 1

Were the changes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution mostly
negative or positive ?

Rubrics:

1) Structure –
a) Introduction
– Sets the context/background.
- Summarizes the key points
- Thesis Statement
- Reference to the Question
b) Main Body Paragraphs
- Ideas effectively organized.
- Connectives used to link ideas together and to the question.
- Refers to question statement.
c) Conclusion
- Summarizes the main points given in the essay
- Ends with Concluding statement.
2) Answer clearly addresses the demands of the question
3) Use of appropriate content knowledge (evidence) to support
arguments made.

Word Count – 500 words minimum

 WERE THE CHANGES THAT OCCURRED DURING THE
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION MAINLY NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE?

The Industrial Revolution was a significant time period in the shaping of today's
society. During the 18th century, Britain industrialised by the introduction of
mechanical production and manufacturing methods. As this process changed society
during this period there were many positive and negative impacts, this had a major
change in the lifestyle of many individuals living in Britain.

One of the major positive elements during the industrial revolution was the production
of goods. Before the Industrial Revolution the production was all done on a very small
scale. Simply put, this refers to a period in which goods for sale were produced in a
tiny amount, usually in a home. In this system, people produced goods, such as wool,
in their homes or on their own farms and then sold it to local communities since long
distance transportation was uncommon.  This method of production was slow and
inefficient and struggled to keep pace with the growing demand caused by the
increased population.  As a result, entrepreneurs and inventors sought ways to increase
production, which ultimately led to the creation of the factory system.  The factory
system is a term that historians use to refer to the development of centralised factories
or mills that produced goods on a mass scale.  Ultimately, the factory system led to
faster production, which has helped mass produce everything from cell phones to
healthcare equipment.  As a result, this has improved the lives of most people and
allowed them access to a greater variety of goods that has enhanced their quality of
life. Furthermore, as part of the development of the factory system, the Industrial
Revolution also led to many new technological innovations.  The inventions increased
industrial output and allowed the creation of new goods which improved life for
people at the time. In addition, the wealthy business owners who established the
factories and mines in the Industrial Revolution were able to earn large amounts of
wealth by selling the goods.  This allowed industrialised countries such as Britain to
become very wealthy

However, there were also some downsides to the industrial revolution. Negative

impacts included the pollution that had covered cities , the treatment of children in
factories and the overall working condition in these factories. The happiness of people
who found employment was very low and thus there were many unions started to
defend the rights of workers. A very large issue that had a lot of bad consequences
was the pollution, as a result of factories and homes the pollution in urban areas
intensified and was very prevalent this contaminated waterways and resulted in
diseases spread by the pollution another effect of the immense pollution where
unusual weather patterns like acid rain and smog. The working conditions in factories
were very poor as such the machinery and equipment in these facilities had caused
many serious injuries, this was due to the poor quality and maintenance in the factory.
As a result of this regular occurrence of injury people didn't have the ability to work
and where forced out of the workforce, other factories where not interested in these
people due to their inability to work, and therefore had no employment often resorting
to begging. People in factories were subject to long working hours and in unsanitary
environments due to rare cleaning. Parents sent their kids to work in factories at a
young age in order to bring money home to support the family, these children were
exposed to extreme conditions and were often employed more than their older staff
due to the low wages that were paid to children, they also had the same long working
hours leaving ample time for anything other than sleeping and no education.

Finally, as stated above, there were many negative elements in the Industrial
Revolution, such as: child labour, poor working conditions and poor living
conditions.  However, a positive outcome of the Industrial Revolution was the societal
changes that occurred to correct these issues. For example, the Industrial Revolution
led to many of the following: the growth of socialist movements and labour
movements and improved pay.  These major impacts of the Industrial Revolution led
to many societal improvements such as: ending child labour, improved working and
living conditions, worker’s rights and the growth of labour unions.