Ever since mankind has existed, it has been in need of goods and services. Thus, it can be said that business was instilled in the heart and soul of mankind. In the start, every man fended for himself, survival of the fittest if you may say. However, as time passed on barter trade became one of the more civilized and popular ideas. People started trading goods and services that they could provide in exchange for what they needed. For example, a barber could give a farmer a haircut in exchange for wheat. However, this process was flawed as it lacked many necessary qualities.
As a result, money was invented. Now people had a medium of exchange that they could use to buy and sell their goods and services. This was a driving force behind an increase in trade and economic activity. People started demanding more and more products. Eventually, it was becoming harder and harder for businesses to keep up with demand while operating with manual labor alone. Thus, as a result of this, the manufacturing industry started to transition towards a mechanized process in the 1760s. This was known as the industrial revolution.Industrial Revolution And Its Impact
The industrial revolution has had a massive impact on the world today and in the past. It led to a much more efficient manufacturing process. Work that was done in days and months before could be completed in a matter of hours using machinery. To say that it had a global impact that would shape the future of mankind would not be wrong. In this article, we will be discussing some of the biggest impacts that the industrial revolution had on our world.
Productivity
As the world moved towards automation, productivity levels skyrocketed. This led to firms being able to increase production levels and reduce costs thus ultimately reducing prices as well. Thus, consumers wanted more and more products as they were cheaper to obtain than ever before. As a result, producers further increased production to meet with growing demand.
In today’s world, productivity levels are at numbers no one imagined before. The industrial revolution has directly impacted that. Companies such as insulator manufacturers, or even manufacturers of auto mold all benefit from mechanical efficiency brought by the industrial revolution.
Technology
The industrial revolution started with basic machinery. However, what began with some machines that could perform simple tasks is a sight to behold today. All manufacturing powerplants are loaded from top to bottom with state-of-the-art machinery. This has enabled much better safer and more efficient work environments and production.
Technology itself is a product of the industrial revolution as well. All the high-tech gadgets that we see today would not be possible if the industrial revolution did not take place. They are a product of the advancement of the manufacturing process as well.
Education
Almost every student took online classes during the recent pandemic. Why was that possible? Because of the industrial revolution. The latest industrial revolution sparked a change towards virtualism. Online classrooms and lectures are directly a result of this movement.
Job Creation
While a lot of people argue that the mechanization of the manufacturing process took jobs away, it is not necessarily true. While there were a number of redundancies, it opened up newer jobs. After all, someone had to create the machines as well. Similarly, someone needed to control them and maintain them as well. Thus while some old-fashioned jobs were lost, newer ones were created. New firms such as medical molding suppliers Seaskymedical are a good example. As the manufacturing process became more efficient a high number of suppliers emerged in the market to supply the newly created products.
A Worse Off Environment?
Not everything can be good about everything. While the industrial revolution has had major positive impacts on the world, it has had negative ones as well. One of which is a worse-off environment. While mankind took a stride forward, it did not seem to care about what was going down with it. A growing number of manufacturing plants and innovation in products meant more pollution and waste material dumped into the Earth. It will not be wrong to say that the industrial revolution is one of the main factors behind the constantly depreciating conditions of the environment today.
Conclusion
While the industrial revolution started in the 1760s, it is very much alive today as well. There is no denying that the industrial revolution is perhaps the most significant event in mankind’s modern history. It has shaped the way we look forwards to the past and will continue to do so in the future as well.
