What was the Social Cost of Industrialization in Great Britain - Essay Example

The coming together of England and Scotland brought about the much needed peace and stability; thus, there were no barriers between them. This meant that the trade could occur between the two. Then there was the law that dictated the terms about the respect of contracts, which meant that any contracts that were made had to be respected and followed by the parties that made them. In addition, a legal system allowed co-operations or companies to have joint stock. This system fuelled the industrialization since there was the ability to have stock in different companies or organizations such as co-operations and even the merging of some1.

Then there was capitalism; which was the availability of a free market that enabled entrepreneurs to be economically and socially capable of running their own businesses. These key factors enabled the industrial revolution in Great Britain2. The social cost of industrialization in Great Britain affected the lives of people, from the urbanization process, housing, standards of living, increase in population, jobs, labor, and creation of new ideas and inventions. Middle-class people came to rise, whereas ordinary people who barely earned a living now had to deal with the increased levels of opportunities for employment when the new factories and other employment opportunities popped up.

However, even though there were jobs, these people had to bear the cost of that easy-come job. They had to endure long working hours and strict working conditions3. This was because the revolution had just started, and this forced them to maintain the hard work. Little earnings followed these harsh working conditions. Those who worked the longest hours were the people who worked in the steel industry. These little earnings did not help, as the little earnings did not provide a decent life, one that required looking decent, eating decent and proper shelter.

Even though these