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Industrial Revolution

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Was the Industrial Revolution a Blessing or a Curse?
The Industrial Revolution was a period of technological improvement that took place in Britain from about 1750 into the 1900’s. To many, the Industrial Revolution was the gateway into modern-day factories and machinery. The Industrial Revolution was spurred by the competition of Britain against India or China. India and China were both very productive in the production of goods, meaning the people of Britain had to buy the cheap products imported from India and China. British businessmen developed new technology so they could manufacture their own cotton textiles, the main product imported into Britain. Although some historians believe that the Industrial revolution was a blessing …show more content…

Overseers took most of the money earned and kept it for themselves. Any worker who dared go on strike or stand up for thei pay was beaten and tortured. This piece of evidence shows that since the majority of people were part of the working class, they were abused and were arguably better off working hard and receiving most of the fruits of their labor on farms instead of doubling their repetitive work for half of the payoff. Adolf Levenstein, a coal miner living during the Industrial Revolution Reflected in a letter, later collected into the book, From the Depths: Workers Letters, published in 1905, states how, “The work is becoming increasingly mechanical. No more incentive, no more haste, we muddle along wearily, we are worn out and mindless. My forehead burns like fire…. But in my head it rages and paralyzes me beyond control or without my being able to think. When it becomes unbearable I stop my slow, energyless working….And that is not all; the spirit too, the conscience of the individual, degenerates. And one drudge, grown vacuous through his work, is put beside another one, and another one and finally this “modern” circle has closed in on the entire working force” (Levenstein). The work in the mines was tiring and repetitive. Since machines have taken more of the desirable jobs and workers have been laid off, the laborers who are still employed had to work tedious jobs. This letter provides a view into the daily

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