Lesson 80 Assignment – How was the standard of living affected by the Industrial Revolution?

If it were not for the Industrial Revolution, we would not have many of the things we have today. The working class became a thing during this time, and allowed people who had no skills or trades to offer the market labor in exchange for money. Jobs were widely available, not in the best condition, but the best it could be at the time. Certainly, no one nowadays would dare to work such jobs because even the lowest among us in terms of socio-economic standards have preferences and choices. Back then, people one way or another just had to work jobs like these to sustain themselves and their families. Think about it this way, the fact that people would choose to work these jobs regardless of the poor working conditions and seemingly low pay tells you that there were not many options for needy people back then. Nowadays we have a vast array of welfare programs, job choices, regulations for job safety and security, etc. Back then we did not, but if it were not for those jobs they had then who knows what they would’ve been doing. Child labor was also prevalent during the beginning, as they had to work because they could use the extra income or simply because they relied on themselves or their families relied on them for money. This started disappearing though, as wages got higher and hours worked lessened over time. People could actually afford to send their kids to school, they could afford a living space, food and maybe some luxuries. We have to put ourselves in their shoes and see it in their perspective, as our standards are very high especially in the modern West. We’ve accumulated so much wealth and as a result become spoiled. We’ve forgotten that only through hard work, struggle and sacrifice is how we’ve become prosperous, not through handouts and government policies.