The Industrial Revolution... Continues

When Henry Ford came up with the idea of the assembly line and made the first ever mass produced car, the world became a much faster place. Have you ever heard the phrase "necessity is the mother of invention"? Well, this was continuously the case during this time. With each new invention, problems arose and restrictions were applied by government through new laws which meant that a solution had to be found and that led to a new invention, such as Henry Ford's River Rouge plant which was started as a means for him to move finished cars in a large number without damaging them.

From a design point of view, the industrial revolution was horrendous. Manufacturers were only concerned with making money with the least amount of effort and money possible. In France, floral decor and patterns were all the rage, but these were too technically difficult for the machines which meant that they couldn't be made easily, efficiently and cheaply. So these were pushed aside in favour of more geometric shapes which were easier to make with the new machines. The products produced were also very cheaply made and very easily broken and so there was no value in anything that was bought (I guess this is where the idea of "the more expensive the item, the better produced it is" came from).

Advert for Reaping Machine

This is how the middle class was created. Because the poor were no working in factories and earning more money, they had more money to spend, if this had been the only affect it had their money would have only been spent on food and just trying to make enough to live by. However, since the revolution affected everything, everything became cheaper. Farmers were tilling their soil and planting their seeds and reaping their crops much faster than ever before which meant they could plant more. this led to advances in the knowledge of the farmer. When the soil turned fallow, he learned to plant legumes in order for it to become fertile again. the legumes and scraps were then fed to the livestock and so farmers had a larger number of livestock as well.

Even textiles which had a slow and labourious process, now became much cheaper to make which meant that they could sell them at a cheaper price and people would by them more. Because everything became cheaper to make, it became cheaper to sell without loss of profit. People who had grown up in poor families and were starting to set up house, were enjoying the fact that their pay could go so far. they started buying more luxurious furniture and clothes and all of a sudden it became almost impossible for the on looker to differentiate between the rich and the middle class. the invention of trains and the railway as well this inexpensive lifestyle meant that people could save up in order to travel, but they didn't have to save much.

 People waiting for the train.

In so many words, the culture and lifestyles of a lot of people were turned upside down because of The Industrial Revolution.

References:

81.02.06: The Industrial Revolution. 2013. 81.02.06: The Industrial Revolution. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html. [Accessed 22 October 2013].

N/A, (N/A), Newspaper Clipping [ONLINE]. Available at: http://corporate.ford.com/images/content/f_677_5dollarsaDay.jpg [Accessed 22 October 13].

N/A, (N/A), Reaping Machine Advert [ONLINE]. Available at: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Hussey's_Reaping_Machine_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_19547.jpg [Accessed 22 October 13].

N/A, (N/A), People Waiting for the train [ONLINE]. Available at: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/schools/primaryhistory/images/victorian_britain/leisure/v_train_platform.jpg [Accessed 22 October 13].