Industrialization Discussion
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Did industrialization improve or worsen conditions for workers?
The industrial revolution transformed the world by increasing capital stock and technological progress. Its effects increased the income earned by people in the Western World in the 1860s onwards (BBC, 2020). Historians generally agree that it facilitated an accelerated transition to the modern world. They, however, disagree on whether it improved or decreased living standards for working-class people. A review of conditions for the working-class people during China’s ongoing industrialization phase shows that the industrial revolutions worsened conditions for the working class.
Living decreased significantly for the working class during the industrial revolution. The working conditions were exceedingly terrible, just as they are in Chinese factories (Frontline PBS, 2019). There was a surplus of working people, so capitalist employers set the wages to be as low as possible. Factories were sites of abuse rather than working places, and just like in Chinese factories, there was no light other than scant sunlight coming through the windows (Frontline PBS, 2019). The workers lived in slums that had no sanitation resulting in massive diseases and deaths. The poor living conditions are replicated in Chinese factories where workers do not have residence rights in the skyscrapers they build (Frontline PBS, 2019). Conditions for the working class generally deteriorated.
Living conditions only improved for the upper and middle classes during the later stages of the revolution. A middle-class constituting of skilled workers was able to make extra money and move to live in fancy places. The same is true for the Chinese middle class, which has moved to live in developed cities such as Beijing and Shanghai (Frontline PBS, 2019). The industrial revolution only produced increased inequalities, which improved conditions for the middle class and worsened conditions for the working class.
References
BBC (2010, November 26). Hans Rosling’s 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes-The Joy of Stats-BBC Four (Video). YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo
Frontline PBS (2019, June 4). The Tank Man (Full Film) | FRONTLINE (Video). YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHMZmthg-Vk