Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Debate #3 Reflection

Was the Industrial Revolution a social, moral, and environmental disaster?  Be sure to use evidence from our studies and the debate.

14 comments:

  1. The industrial revolution was a disaster because the workers had long hours in bad conditions of almost no pay. I also killed the environment through unmonitored dumping of waste from factories. There was also no time for religion during this age. Although the men did have Sundays off they were so exhausted from the week of work that most of them just slept or had things to do around the house. Child labor was also an issue during this time. The children were subject to harsh and dangerous conditions. If a worked got injured and could not work they would be fired with no more pay and would become a burden to their family. That is why the industrialization was a disaster.

    ReplyDelete
  2. In relation to the topic of the industrial revolution being a disaster or not i believe it was not. The reasons it wasn't was because it opened a wide variety of jobs, developed child labor laws sparked significant reform. The reforms created were things such as child labor laws etc. The level of jobs opening up was tremendous but hours were still long with low wages but atleast jobs were present. in regards to development of child labor laws this decreased child injury and lead to higher education because they were forced to attend school for a certain amount of time each week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Industrial Revolution was a social, moral, and environmental disaster. Spiritually, workers had little time, if any, for religion. In addition, the Factory owner that they answered to almost took over the role of "God" in their lives. In a moral sense, crime increased exponentially during the industrial revolution. Morality decreased severely as an effect of the repetitive dangerous work associated with factory jobs. Environmentally, industrial and human waste were dumped directly into the rivers without any attempt at sanitation. This waste killed wildlife and spread disease. Although it is definitely true that technologically and materialistically the industrial revolution was a huge success, in the three areas of focus, it was a disaster.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Industrial Revolution was a disaster on a short-term basis, but a success on a long-term basis. At the time, there were more negatives than positives such as a lack of sanitation, labor abuse, and decrease in religion. Exploitation of children especially exploded and with long hours, too low wages, and abusive conditions actually decreased standard of living. Although living and working conditions worsened, the technology that emerged provided long-term success. Although the times were bad, the technological advances and even problems that arose led to a change in society and culture that is still in effect today. Compulsory education also emerged therefore promoting more effective education and that combined with technology allowed for improved standard of living in the modern world later on. Labor abuses were also addressed later on, so although the Industrial Revolution debilitated the people when it emerged, it helped society in the long run.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Industrial Revolution was a social, moral, and environmental disaster. Despite the fact that agriculture and over-farming had already decimated the environment, smog and other such emissions from factories were highly detrimental to the environment. Furthermore, the environment in factories were very poor, with dust, fumes, and other harsh substances in the air filled the lungs of the worker and cut years off of their lifespan. Spiritually, there was little time if any for the workers to go to church. Their one day off was far more often spent drinking or resting and not pursuing religion, individual or otherwise. There was some good that came from the Industrial Revolution in the manner of labor laws and mandatory education that helped to get children out of the factories, if only for a short time. However, crime and violence were rampant in the smog-covered, slum-filled cities and many were repulsed into returning to old ways and nature as evidenced by the works of Romantic authors such as William Wordsworth. Though there were definitely benefits to the Industrial Revolution, it was spiritually, morally, and environmentally a disaster.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The common argument about the Industrial Revolution would be was it successful or considered a disaster? I argue that the Industrial Revolution was a disaster because people were becoming dehumanized and basically their whole life was around working and taking care of their children. Alo while at work they were in such bad conditions that put each and every worker in great danger and put them at high risk of getting a disease, that may be spread to their children. In addition, the enclosure movement was in action and the citizens land was taking away from the people for no reason. Thats why I believe that the Industrial Revolution was a disaster.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Industrial Revolution was not a disaster. There were many social and moral government regulations. For example, many Sunday laws were put in place to allow Sunday worship. Also, child labor laws were put in place to protect children in factories. Finally, many factory acts were put in place on aspects such as the environment. Overall, the industrial revolution was a success and necessary for the advancement to the modern era.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Industrial Revolution was not a disaster because new laws would change the way the world worked. The legislation used would fix the problems crafts men had. There was also no shortage of food this allowed for people to be fed and free trade with other nations for a stronger nation. Children only worked if it was necessary and education had to be done everyday. Also the new laws allowed for less working hours and a safer working environment. Labor unions would come together to force a change and make these working conditions even safer. These machines allowed for their to be less work on people and products could be made easier and faster. The Industrial Revolution would create a new advanced way of living.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Industrial Revolution was a social, moral, and environmental disaster on all fronts. Socially, there was an exponential increase in crime. Also, laborers became virtual slaves to their bosses. Many worked 16 hour days, 6 days per week. Morally, many people, living in a hell on earth felt disillusioned with traditional morality. Although Sundays were given for church, many slept instead, sleeping off their hangovers. The Industrial Revolution also caused a massive increase in pollution. There was also an increased demand for farming, which led to more agricultural run. Sanitation in cities was also terrible. In one instance, 36,000 people died from cholera. For these reasons, and countless others the Industrial Revolution was a social, moral, and environmental disaster.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The Industrial Revolution was a social, moral and environmental disaster. Hundreds of people were exploited by factory owners, who forced them to work in horribly dangerous conditions for around 96 hours a week. Children were exploited as well, as they were fed little and forced to wear thin outfits so as to fit in chimneys better. Pollution was so common that houses were made in bright colors so as to show up through the soot. DIseases such as cholera were rampant. When unions would attempt to use their power and revolt against the factory owners, the government stepped in and did not allow them to proceed. People were unable to improve their lives.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I feel that the Industrial Revolution was indeed a disaster in regards to social, moral and environmental repercussions. In regards to social implications, workers had little time off, and the time they did have off was used to recover from their extremely long working hours. In moral standards, people were becoming dehumanized through their work, there was increased crime. and there were no regulatory laws, so people could be laid off at any time for any reason without an explanation. Regarding the environment, the industrial revolution was a huge failure. There was a lot of destruction, no sanitation, extreme smog, and waste products being dumped into rivers. Although the industrial revolution shaped the world as we know today, socially, morally and environmentally, it was a disaster.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Through the information I learned in the debate, I believe that the Industrial Revolution was a social, moral, and environmental disaster. It was a social and moral disaster because people were often forced to work 16 hour days 6 days a week. There was little pay and a shortage of jobs because new machines took over work people previously did. The factories often dictated workers lives and dehumanized them. The working conditions were extremely immoral. This also led to socialism and communism. The Industrial Revolution was an environmental disaster because of the extreme pollution that the factories gave off. There were no sewage systems to properly get rid of waste, which extremely polluted the nearby water because the waste would be dumped. The smog that polluted the air caused health problems with human and wildlife alike. The lack of plumbing also contributed to the destruction of the nearby wildlife. In conclusion, I believe that the Industrial Revolution was a social, moral, and environmental disaster.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Industrial Revolution, despite its benefits to the material and industrial world and its introduction of compulsory education for children, proved a disaster in terms of spiritual, moral, and environmental conditions in Britain. Workers exhausted after working sixteen hour work days for six days a week frequently used their one day off, Sunday, for well-deserved rest and recovery from the intense work week, not going to church as factory officials predicted. They had little time for God in their daily lives, and, in a way, the factory owners became their 'god' as they controlled every aspect of their lives, became the higher power that they answered to, and even held their lives and futures in their hands. Morality declined tremendously through the dehumanization of the workers as well as the increase in crime. Workers were subjected to extremely harsh, dangerous, and inhumane conditions, and exploited by factory owners much more interested in profit rather than the lives of their workers. Even after grueling long hours and workdays, workers gained minimal salaries and faced risks of dismemberment or other severe injury from the heartless machines. The horrendous lives of the workers permeated into the literature of the time as well, reflected in the work of Benjamin Disraeli and Charles Dickens, among others. Environmental conditions were also terrible, due to the lack of regulations for factories regarding industrial waste. Smog and soot filled the air and coated everything from the buildings and factories to the workers' lungs. Cramped, unsanitary living conditions without any sanitation systems led to frequent disease outbreak as well, including cholera, among the working poor. Thus, the Industrial Revolution was a disaster among all three areas of spiritual, moral, and environmental concern.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I believe that the Industrial Revolution was in fact a social, moral and environmental disaster. Environmentally, the amount of pollution that was produced was so horrendous that a layer of smog covered everything and even went as far as to block some of the light from the sun. Furthermore, a layer of soot covered everything from skin to buildings. Industrial and human waste was dumped straight into rivers killing wildlife and spreading disease. Socially/Spiritually it was also a disaster because while the workers had Sunday off to worship God, many were so exhausted from their 6 days of 16 hours of work that couldn't even attend church. During the week, they were so busy with work that they had no time to worship. Morally, the industrial revolution was definitely a low point in human history. Workers were constantly exploited with terrible, inhumane working conditions and low wages. They were preforming jobs for wages that possibly wasn't enough to support a family. Even worse was child labor that was extremely common during this time. One specific type of child work was chimney sweepers. They were underfed and under-clothed in order to fit better into the chimneys. Overall, the Industrial Revolution was a complete disaster environmentally, socially/spiritually and morally.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.