The effects of urban industrial revolution on men

By definition, industrial revolution simply refers to the rapid change from manual to mechanized labour. Meaning, when industrialization began, people shifted from the use of human labourers to the machines. So, instead of using human beings to manually discharge duties, it is the machines that were used. The rise of the industrial revolution changed human society in many ways. According to historical researches, the industrial revolution had both positive and negative impacts on the people. There were so many industries or machines each of which was to be operated by human beings. The people who were living in urban centres got to acquire jobs that were initially not available to them. So many males were employed because, during that time, the society was male-dominated. The capital owners had to favour men over their women because, at the time, the society believed that men were superior to the female workers.

The men were employed in different categories. The income that the employees got was enough to sustain their life. At the same time, they could use excess revenues to invest in other areas and start their own businesses. The more these people continued earning, the more they became empowered. With time, some employees ended up starting their own businesses or building their industries and eventually becoming employers as well. This is a clear indication that the rise of the urban-industrial revolution was a noble thing because it led to the economic progress of many people. The third way through which the emergence of the urban-industrial revolution positively impacted on the male workers is that it improved the standard of living. There are so many ways through which the living standards of the male workers improved.

To begin with, the emergence of towns exposed the workers to a new and improved lifestyle that resonated with the town people. Unlike in the rural areas where there were no facilities, the urban-based workers got an ample chance to enjoy a wide range of benefits such as recreational facilities, good transportation, and improved healthcare services. Although these were initially not available, they were later availed to the workers since they are some of the long-term benefits of urban-industrialization at the time. The workers were seriously exploited by the employers who had got all the powers because they were the sole capital owners. The labourers who were working in the industries were exploited by giving them low remuneration packages. Research has established that it was quite hard for the employees to make enough money because the salaries were as little as ten cents per hour.

Meaning, it was even hard for the workers to earn $100 for the whole month. Apart from poor payment, the male employees were overworked. Since the machines had not been fully developed, they were releasing lots of smoke that was directly consumed by the operators and other workers within and out of the factory premises. Exposure to such impurities led to the outbreak of diseases like lung infection, heart attack, and other forms of respiratory ailments. These are health conditions that ended up affecting the workers in many ways. In fact, sometimes, the diseases could be further spread to other workers. Worse still, the employees had to be subjected to further agonies since the firms at the time, lacked proper human resource management competencies to effectively manage and motivate the workers. Once a person was infected, it would be easy to spread the condition to others with whom they lived or interacted.

The situation was bad and could, at times result into death because there was no enough medication at the time. Conclusion The urban-industrial revolution was a significant period in the history of humanity. If it were not for industrialization, the world would not be the way it is today. It is through an industrial revolution that gave rise to the advancements in agriculture, health care, education, manufacturing, transportation, and any other sector that one might be tempted to think about10. Although the workers had to suffer a lot, the truth is that their suffering was short-lived because, as time progressed, the working conditions kept improving. For example, during the initial stages of the revolution, the employers could exploit their workers and subject them to all manners of oppression such as poor remuneration, long working hours, and lack of employee welfare.

However, all these could not continue for eternity because as time elapsed, the society became quite liberal and accommodative. That happened because of the emergence of labour laws that had outlawed any acts of workplace discrimination, oppression, and prejudice. While these improvements were being made, the worker's condition became much better because they continued enjoying all the benefits of urbanization and the industrial revolution. Palmer,Bryan. Working Class Experience: Rethinking the History of Canadian Labour, 1800-1991. McCleland & Stewart, 1992. Schwab, Klaus. The Fourth Industrial Revolution.