Industrial Revolution

Introduction 

In the early 18^th century, the western world witnessed a revolution that changed the course of their life forever. This was the Industrial Revolution. We know, a revolution is a sudden and complete change that takes place in our lives. But this Industrial Revolution was not sudden and abrupt. It was gradual. Before the Industrial Revolution, people did most of their work using some simple tools and their muscular power. The work was done slowly and from home. But the Industrial Revolution changed all. 

With the inventions of machines, life became easier and faster. A huge change was brought about in the process by which things were made. Large amount of goods began to be made in a very short time which helped to save effort, time and energy. This was Industrial Revolution.

What caused Industrial Revolution? 

From the 16^th century onwards, England started setting up colonies all over the world, opening up new resources as well as market for finished products. Huge quantities of raw materials from the colonies started to pour into England and thus there was a need to quickly process these into finished goods. To manufacture goods speedily in the factories, machines were needed, which led to the inventions of machines like spinning machines, steam engines, etc. This is how the industrial revolutions started from England and soon spread to all over Europe.

The first revolution came in the textile industry. Until the 18^th century people separated the cotton fibres from the seeds, spun and wove by hand. But soon small machines like cotton gin and the spinning jenny were invented which changed the method of weaving completely. The cotton gin helped to separate cotton from the seeds very quickly, while spinning jenny helped to make fine yarns and threads. Large weaving machines were invented which revolutionized the textile industry.

The Age of Steam engines 

The invention of steam engines began the real industrial revolution. It was started by James Watt, whose invention steam engine changed the course of history.

James was fascinated with the power of steam. When he was a small boy, he would spend hours watching the kettle boil, much to the discomfort of his aunt, who often scolded him for wasting his time. He noticed that when the water in the kettle boiled, the lid of the kettle moved up and down, leading him to believe that the steam escaping from the kettle had enough power to push the lid upwards. He used to think that if a little steam could push a small lid, then a huge amount of steam could be used to move large machines. In 1774 he invented the steam engine, which is used to run big machines.

This was followed by George Stevenson, who studies the models deviced by James Watt and improved it and eventually invented a powerful steam engine which could pull trains. Soon regular passenger train ran between Manchester and Liverpool, two of the largest industrial towns of England. Steam engines became very popular in England and people started to use them for water travel.

Electricity

Before the Industrial Revolution, people used oil lamps and candles for light, which were smoky and give troubles in reading fine prints. Soon Thomas Alva Edison invented the electric bulb, which gave better light than the candles or oil lamps and also burned for longer hours.

Other important inventions of the Industrial Revolution 

The Industrial Revolution led to many other important inventions, like the telegraph, telephone and the wireless. A telegraph sends messages to distant lands with the help of radio signals, which are then converted into readable medium. A wireless is a system by which sounds are sent over a distance by radio signals.

Effects of the Industrial Revolution 

The Industrial Revolution brought a host of problems with it, like growth of slums, exploitation of working class people and fatal diseases. Since the factories were located in the cities, large section of rural population migrated to cities to work, making cities over populated, leading to the rise of slums. A slum is a place where poor people, mainly daily wage earners and labors live in unhygienic condition.

The working conditions in the factories were terrible. They were hot and had no ventilation. Many kinds of diseases began to grow. Injuries from machines were common, as the owners of the factories were more interested in profits rather than taking care of the workers. Workers also suffered from strain and exhaustion due to excess working hours. The workers, both adults and children worked for twelve hours a day, sometimes eighteen hours a day.

During this time the deadly disease tuberculosis started spreading. Tuberculosis is a serious disease that infects lungs. It was fatal in those days. But it is curable now. Filthy living conditions helped its growth. Epidemics broke out often wiping the whole city or locality.