Industrial Revolution DBQ

Directions: Use the following template to write your final DBQ essay. Remember to
include an introduction paragraph, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.
Use the DBQ Writing Prep to help you structure the essay.

DBQ Question: Was the Industrial Revolution primarily a time

of progress or a time of problems?
Analyze the positive and negative effects of the Industrial Revolution,
taking into account the effects on different social groups (rural, urban,
rich, poor, children, women etc.). Use the documents and your
knowledge of the period from 1700 1880 to construct your response.

The Industrial Revolution was a major time of urbanization. During this time, many
farmers lost their land, forcing families to move to cities to look for work. This lead to more
factories in the cities which led to more growth, hence the start of the Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial revolution was primarily a time of problems for the working class people
because of the pollution and disease, deadly working conditions, and vile living situations.
One of the main problems during this time was the harmful environment caused by
disease and pollution. According to Friedrich Engels, The smell was so foul that it almost
knocked the two men down. (doc 4) This quote shows how poorly kept the city was. Such
close living conditions went from unsanitary living quarters to disease infected cities, that
reeked of death. This caused a lot more problems that progress throughout the city. Disease
was not the only problem throughout the city. In The Impressions of Manchester by Alexis de
Tocqueville he illustrates, A sort of black smoke covers the city. Under this half-daylight
300,000 human beings are ceaselessly at work. (doc 6) With all the factories being built,
pollution became a problem quickly. This harmful environment caused the people to die sooner
because of the deadly elements they were exposed to in their environment.
Another problem from The Industrial Revolution for the working class were the deadly
working conditions. Friedrich Engels describes, The working man may be lucky enough to

find employment, ... If he cannot find work, he can steal, or he can go hungry and then the
police will see to it that he will die of hunger in such a way that does not disturb the life of the
middle classes. (Doc 4) This quote demonstrates.Most the jobs working class could acquire
were very dangerous work that no one wanted to do and if they did not accept any job they
could get they would go hungry. This quotes shows how irrelevant the working class was and
how hard it was to find job and to make a living. Many children's hands and arms had been
caught in the machinery. In many instances the muscles and the skin is stripped down to the
bone. In some cases a finger or two might be lost...The number of children at that time in the
school who were employed (working) in factories was 106. The number of children who had
received injuries from the machinery amounted to very nearly half. (Doc 7) The working
conditions were very dangerous during this time. This author shows the brutality and real
danger children put their lives through everyday in order to provide for their families. Once the
children have been injured, it was still not an excuse to stop working. It did not matter if they
lost an arm, they had to figure out a way to adapt to their new reality. There was absolutely no
progress here and only problems.
Not only the environment and working conditions a problem but so were the homes of
the working class. Alexis de Tocqueville shows, The homes of the poor are scattered
haphazard (in a messy way) around the factories. From this filthy sewer, the wealth of England
flows. Here civilized man is turned back almost into a savage. In this Hell upon Earth,
everything which causes horror and anger belongs to the industrial era. (Doc 6) The housing
in the Industrial revolution was so terrible it was considered Hell on Earth. Every man had to
fight off disease and sickness just to survive because of teh poor conditions. With all sorts of
people moving to the city for work housing got closer and closer until the workers had to build

houses on top of each other. Hygiene was very difficult during this time. Elizabeth Haskell
depicts, They began to penetrate (walk through) the thick darkness of the place and to see
three or four little children rolling on the damp (wet) brick floor, which oozed with the filthy
moisture of the street. (Doc 2) The population from the moving to cities from the country led
to close living quarters. The cities were so undertaken care of that it was hardly livable to stay
in.
The Industrial Revolution was primarily a time of problems for the working class people
because of the harmful environment, deadly working conditions, and vile living situations.
Many things can be learned from The Industrial Revolution such as hygiene and self respect by
taking care of your body and the environment around you. Besides the fact that The Industrial
Revolution made great advances in the world today, the harmful environment, deadly working
conditions, and vile living situations were more problematic instead of bringing progress
during this time.