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The Industrial Revolution was one of the most pivotal times in history that continues to shape the world today in very obvious ways. Great Britain first cleared the path to an industrialized society, but the whole world soon followed in their footsteps. Today, historians still look at them as a model of how a country industrialized as the trend continues with other countries. The Industrial Revolution, starting around the mid-eighteenth century, and gave birth to many ideas that are still considered "modern" today.
The Industrial Revolution began the idea of "going to work," and having set hours for a job. The grueling hours of factory labor were difficult, but taught people discipline and work ethic. They began forming standards and implementing rules for the workplace. They were harsh, but the people were not accustomed to any restrictions. The majority of the population were previously farmers or served as house maids. Today, these standards are sometimes not stated as explicitly, but always understood. The discipline at the workplace has been popularized into common knowledge. It is understood that a person cannot be repeatedly late for work, nor may they use the bathroom wherever they please. These rules and regulation stem from the factories of the Industrial Revolution which clearly stated them for the first time and enforced them. How much of the modern day society was born out of the Industrial Revolution's factories? How has work ethic evolved (immigrant work ethic, modern day westerner work ethic, Third World countries work ethic, etc.)? Work ethic seems to be driven by money and a higher standard of living. For instance, the immigrant work ethic is strong and determined, making themselves out of nothing. They embody Smiles' idea that an individual's success and poverty is solely their doing. Bits and pieces of the work ethic from the Industrial Revolution can be found in today's working class.
The idea of innovative machines doing jobs also had a jumpstart during the Industrial Revolution. Previously, inventions were very seldom (compared to now), and the progress with technology was slow. First with the spinning jenny, to the water frame and to the steam engine, the change and technological advances moved rapidly. Today, with cellphones to laptops, many advances are being made, and technology is always improving. It is as if the initial push during the Industrial Revolution never slowed, but continues to pick up speed. Is modern society making more progress than before? What defines progress? Progress can be in the mind, as it was in the Enlightenment, or with machines, as seen in the Industrial Revolution. Today, the progress made is both mental and manifests itself more concretely in machines and new inventions. Although the technology is advancing more rapidly than ever before, it would not be correct to say the society is advancing more than periods such as the Industrial Revolution. They were the ones to "unlock" the door to innovation and set the standards for modern times. Without Great Britain's breakthrough, the modern world would not have been born. But was the Industrial Revolution inevitable? Would it have happened somewhere else if it were not for Great Britain? Great Britain had all the financial means and all the resources for the Industrial Revolution, and to this day, serves as the perfect model for any country hoping the industrialize.
