Blog # 6

The Industrial Revolution was a huge development and growth for industry and for Great Britain, but the machines that were created during this time were not the only lasting change that still exists today.  When the Industrial Revolution was deep in its expansion greater divides began to develop between the different classes of people that were living in England during this time period. 

While class levels have existed for Centuries in England and in many civilizations, the Industrial Revolution led to a much greater divide among the people of this country.  The Upper and Middle Classes were benefiting greatly from the wealth that was coming from the Industrial Revolution.  These were the people that owned the mines and factories, and also included bankers and merchants.  Both the group of people that were hiring the labor, and the people who were hired by the Monarch to come up with revolutionary ideas to help increase revenue were the people benefiting most from this surge in Industrialization.

The Labor Class was the group of people who were hired to work in the mines, factories, ports, and farms.  While these people did have steady work they were the ones who were “Suffering the most and benefiting the least” (Strayer, 537).  Because of the Industrial Revolution there was a greater demand for labor which led to a huge increase in people living in these urban centers, which was contributing to overcrowding, epidemics, and a limited supply of clean water.  It was during this time that the difference in overall living started to really increase making for few wealthy and many poor people who were not getting the help they deserved or needed. 

This is something that we still see today in the United States.  Even though the government has tried to reduce the extremes that exist between class levels it has reached a point of no return.  The rich continue to get rich, the middle class are trying their best to hang on to their comfortable lives, and the poor are just continuing to struggle making homelessness and epidemic in the United States.  Because they were unable and no longer focusing on trying to reduce the disparity among the people living during the Industrial Revolution has many civilizations had done so many times before, there is no feasible way that we will be able to fix this issue in modern times.

So while the Industrial Revolution had many innovative creations that have helped pave the way for all the technological advances we see today, I am not sure that they are worth the cost that many people pay today who fall on the lowest end of our still dominating class systems.