Industrial Revolution in Europe

The articles by Chadwick and Engels both discuss the filth and disgust brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 1700-1800s. The documents only further support opinions I previously had of the Industrial Revolution. In reading the articles, I came across many situations I already heard of when I toured England and Scotland a few years back. One thing that did stand out was reading about the doorways being blocked by "pools of stagnant urine and excrement." That created a very visual image in my mind that I had yet to imagine. I am unable to say that reading these documents challenged my previous thoughts of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. I already knew of the wide-spread diseases because of people living in such close-quarters, as well as the lack of sanitary systems in the cities.

Both excerpts seem quite believable. They differ, however, in tone. Chadwick's article seems more factual than the second. It voices problems and solutions in a very "matter-of-fact" way. However, Chadwick does make a connection between the growing populations being exposed to disease with those "less susceptible of moral influences." He argues that "these adverse circumstances, tend to produce an adult population short-lived, improvident, reckless, and intemperate, and with habitual avidity for sensual gratifications. "And in this sense, Chadwick forms a very firm opinion in this article consisting mostly of facts and statements. The second excerpt is far more descriptive than the first. Engel is very detailed in his description of Manchester and how it has been enveloped in epidemic and filth. Engel practically walks the reader through the town of Manchester through his use of imagery. Both writers fit into the time period of the Industrial Revolution. And these excerpts are alike in that they were both written of first-hand accounts.

I have no doubt that the each of these stories are one-sided. They clearly each express the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution. Something not mentioned were the successes of the Revolution. Things such as the growth of the modern capitalist system, the building of railroads, turnpikes, waterways, canals, steamboats, and steam engines were great inventions born during the Revolution that are still used today. My reasoning in the writers mentioning what they did was because they clearly dealt with the filth of the revolution. After living through that, it would be difficult to see the positive outcomes of the Industrial Revolution. I'm sure they sensationalized their writing through their own first-hand experiences.

I'm supposing the motivations in the articles by Chadwick and Englels were merely because they wanted for future generations not to make the same mistakes that were made in their time.

These excerpts would be great examples of how the urban poor were affected by the revolution, and how their lives were early on the in the Revolution. Not only are they first-hand accounts, but they are descriptive and factual.

Certain conditions of modern industrialization shared by the urban poor and industrial workers tend to include over-population, decreasing living space, wide-spread job loss, starvation, epidemic and poor sanitation in cities. Through-out every great Revolution, where there is much success to take place, masses of peoples in the working classes tend to suffer the most from the progress. Unfortunately, as it was for Rukmani's family, many families suffer and become so enveloped in poverty, that they reach the point of no return. Family members begin to die from the starvation, sickness, and consequences of trying to turn their situations around. All great movements in progress, no matter where in the world, will leave civilizations in poverty and debt. It is a fact of life. Yin and Yang.