1) Using at least two examples from the text, was the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity?
2) Choose a persons response and, using two examples, argue the exact opposite point of view.
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The change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers was a step in the right direction fro humanity. Although factory workers weren't treated perfectly and didn't work in good conditions improvement was still present. When women and children became involved in the work place it was considered "forced labor" and according to the textbook "Child labor was, of course, entirely forced labor, as was much of the work women did." Even if it was forced, women and children were paid some type of wage even though it was low. It's evident that there wasn't much change from the previous labor systems put in place since it was still strict, but at least now women were apart of something other than taking care of the household and both children and women could contribute to their families necessities as well as the success of industrialization. Another example demonstrating how the change in labor systems create a more positive outcome for humanity is immigrants. Due to the rise of factories, there were more job opportunities for immigrants when they came to the Americas. The textbook states that because of these migrants "The United States turned into a major world power." These immigrants show a positive step for humanity because they helped create a culturally diverse world in daily life and the workforce. Slaves weren't accepted as people because of their color and the fact that immigrants came to the Americas and were allowed to work and be apart of the country shows social improvement. Immigrants helped make this positive step towards humanity by contributing to industrialization just as much as everyone else. Since more people lived in the United States more people could work which meant America was increasingly becoming more and more advanced. If women, children, and immigrants weren't involved in factory working there wouldn't have been as much success socially and economically. The reason why this was a step in the right direction was because slaves and peasants were treated even more awful than women, children, and immigrants were. So even if things didn't drastically change, it was a start to better pay, better hours, safer working environments, and being socially accepted.
ReplyDeleteIt may have been good to have more people working but forced labor isn't a good thing at all. They got little pay and horrible hours. The children would be working from the age as young as 7 and thats a lot of pressure for a young child. They had to do so much and they probably got hurt the most. Women also had to work long hard hours and also got little pay, but they worked just as hard as men did. The labor was still very strict to the people and it still hurt them. Immigrants may have been good because there was diversity but there was still an issue with job losses for the other people who lived there longer and wanted to get jobs. The immigrants were taking away jobs from the people. They may not have been treated as badly as slaves or peasants but they still weren't treated any better. After a while then they were able to get better pay and hours but not during this time so it wasn't any better.
DeleteSalutations Kaitlyn,
DeleteIm here to negate your work and disprove all of your theories and statements, and show the opposing view point, cause YOUR WRONG!
First of all not ALL women worked in factories, some didn't have to because they're husbands or mates were wealthy and owned these companies and factories. Also there was change in previous labor systems because the work that was actually completed and the way it was done was completely different and the titles these people had also changed too. Also these immigrant were socially accepted already because they would move into that cultures, neighborhood, for example the italians moved to what we call now little Italy in brooklyn, and the chinese in flushing or whatever. Better pay, hours, and safer working enviornments were in fact, huge improvements and drastic changes these people worked in horrid conditions for such little pay and there wasn't social acceptance in a sense because like Mr.Sosa said yesterday in class if men had that same job those women/children did they would get much better pay and stuff.
Kaitlyn I see the argument your trying to make but the lives of children before the factories as opposed to after them were a lot easier, and though I agree it may have been a first step up for women, they were still mistreated. Having a child do no work at all is way better than sending your child out to go work at some hazardous factory for hours upon hours does not in my opinion seem like a positive step for humanity.
Delete<3
Yes the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity because they were able to get money and weren't treated with as much disrespect. Instead of working on plantations and large fields for no to extremely little pay. these people were now getting some money for the hard laborious work they did. There was a social class and system though which was starting to come to the surface and you saw different classes like rich to poor and factory and workers, it was divided. There were also apartments and tenements being created for these factory workers because they needed to live near by and get to work quickly which was called urbanization. The spread of immigrants from Europe to the America was a huge step towards humanity as well because it brought all of these different cultures from America and made them as strong globally and communally as they are today.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the factory workers now got paid, it was a small amount that wasn't enough to cover all the necessary expenses. Most people still suffered from starvation even with some type of wage. Yes, they did have tenements but the conditions were horrible and disease was easily spread through them. It actually hurt the workers health living in tenements. Also the immigrants just populated the cities more which created less jobs for Americans and brought diseases to the new lands they lived in.
DeleteEven though slavery was abolished, urbanization had many harmful consequences to the people who worked in the factories. The people had to live in dirty and crowded tenements where diseases loomed in the air and caused deaths. Outside of the tenements, there was waste on the street and garbage sky high and it was dirty and unhealthy. Also, the factories hired children and sometimes led them to their death. Urbanization was harmful and had lasting consequences on the people during that time.
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DeleteI have to disagree with you Chris, because a cause to more tenements, buildings and cities being built, filth started to gather and diseases had spread faster, killing many people and ruining families. As for factory workers, while yes they did have larger pays and more respect, they still faced life threatening duties, especially children. Children had crawled in machines and if they weren't fast enough, well let's say that they either lost a body part and/or their life. Also, the immigration and urbanization is another reason why disease spread throughout cities.
Changes during this time occurred frequently for the peasants and slave workers in factories. I think that it was both a positive and negative step for the workers. In every society there are failures that occur that people have to learn from. Factory workers weren't treated nicely and it was still visible and clearly prominent. One positive outcome from this change, would have to be the fact the women and children worked. Even though it was forced labor they also got a form of payment which allowed them to support their families and also have a way into the society. Their pay might have been low but they had to work just as hard as men to get that payment. More people were involved in society during this time and there were more opportunities, even for immigrants. Immigrants were allowed to come to America to work which allowed new people to come into the society creating a more diverse and unique society. Also another reason why America was called the melting pot. Immigrants were allowed to be what ever race as long as they got the work done they were more accepted into society unlike the slaves. Slaves were unliked and weren't even considered humans. So not only did it allow more people to get job but it also allowed people to be considered along the lines as equal and important in every day things. Due to all these new people working in this society, it made them realize that there needed to be changes. When they realized how hard children were working they gave them less hours to work. As timed passed the people started to get better pay for what they did and they had shorter hours. In 1911 when the triangle shirtwaist factory broke down they made better working environments. Although that may be a little farther down the line, if the immigrants, women, and children hadn't worked there might not have been new ideas and better conditions for the people.
ReplyDeleteSince you both agreed and disagreed, ill offer you one example of why you are WRONG, for each (even though I think you are right).
DeleteFor the first view; the positive aspect of working, the outcome of the children and women working was drastically negative because it caused the deaths of so many lives, as well as showed the evils that were produced by industrialization. Although they were working it was such a low wage that they were kept coming back to earn more and work longer hours, also adding to the intense urbanization and growth of gross, overcrowded cities for the need of the workers to be close to the work. The immigrants also caused a negative effect as the migration of these people, sometimes was legal, was other times illegal and corrupt as traders and workmen kidnapped this migrants and put them to work, almost as if the slavery system had never been abolished. This also led to mass discrimination among the people of the world due to the differences in culture and skin color in small urbanized places.
It was a positive movement to go from chains and slavery to industrialization. Even though there were many negative consequences with urbanization such as child labor, death of disease, and limbs being damaged from diseases, there was a positive outcome. Women gaining some equality as men, working conditions improved, the economy improved, and the world as we know it came to be from industrialization. From slavery to machines, we as humans were able to create more jobs and more cities and more culture. Machines gave us room for improvement with technology. Also, slavery is morally wrong and takes away someones freedom while working for yourself and having freedom to choose where you want to work is another great effect from industrialization. The Industrial Revolution improved the world and took away the nefarious system that is slavery.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I agree with your answer because although there were many negative consequences with urbanization such as child labor, death of disease, and limbs being damaged from diseases, there was a positive outcome. People were more involved than ever in societies during this time with more opportunities. New factories created job opportunities for immigrants when they came to the Americas and industrialization lead to an increasingly amount of success. Great job on your blog post! -Alice M.
DeleteAlice you have to disagree not agree :)
Delete"Choose a persons response and, using two examples, argue the exact opposite point of view."
Hey Emily!
DeleteI did mostly agree with you, except the point that Women gained some equality as men, because even now, both genders aren't equal. At the time both genders were treated very poorly, but women were probably treated much worse. The women were paid much less then men, because they were thought of as weaker, and inferior. Since the women were paid less they had to work more hours to earn the same amount of pay that men did. I do see where you were coming from though, the women were aloud to now work besides men instead of at home doing petite jobs, like taking care of the kids. Now women could support herself, and that was a huge step in the right direction.
-Samantha Aversano
Alice Mungyu
ReplyDeleteTask: Using at least two examples from the text, was the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity?
The change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers was a positive step for humanity because industrialization transformed the way people worked and the places they worked in. Work moved from country to city, from outdoors to indoors, from homes and small workshop into factories and mines. Factories were new settings that reorganized work and reordered life. According to the textbook, “although slavery was abolished in most places and legal serfdom disappeared from Europe, other forms of forced and dependent labor survived and spread. In industrializing economies, it is doubtful how far wage labor was morally superior to slavery.” Although working conditions weren't the greatest, a positive outcome from this is that the women and children had the opportunity to work. People were more involved than ever in societies during this time with more opportunities. For example, new factories created job opportunities for immigrants when they came to the Americas. This is a positive step because it helped industrialization in daily life of the workers and the workforce. Labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers lead to an increasingly amount of success socially and economically.
I disagree with you. I believe that it was a bad thing because women and children were exploited outrageously. "Indian tea plantations relied on female labor to pick because they were cheap to hire and easier to exploit." Women were forced to work for long hours for very little pay. They ended up eating oatmeal every day with meat a surprise addition very rarely. Another big issue that happened was an increase in diseases among city dwellers. The factory workers dealt with poor working conditions and diseases that ran rampant in neighborhoods that were full of sewage and badly lit. This was infinitely worse than country life that slaves and peasants experienced.
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ReplyDeleteNo, the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to favored workers was not a positive step for humanity. It wasn't a positive step because workers had terrible pay, horrible conditions and their life was put at some sort of risk everyday. Some might say that woman had more respect because they are able to work just like men can, but that doesn't stop the fact that people took advantage and still gave them low wages. Woman and child labor was forced, and children were taken from the rightful education they need, even though parents didn't mind since they needed their children's wages (pg 832). The working conditions had also been terrible as children were forced into dangerous situation causing them to get sick, lose a body part or even die. Even in the text book it says 'industrialization plunged workers into misery: uprooting lives, disrupting families, imposing bleak new working conditions, throwing up hideous cities rife with filth and disease." (Pg 815) so I say that no, labor systems from peasant and slaves to factory workers wasn't a positive step for humanity.
Tina, I agree with you about the low pay and working in horrible conditions. However, the conditions they were working in previously, was much worse. They took the chance of risking their lives everyday, just by working in the fields. The hot weather and interactions with animals can cause them die from some type of disease. Although, they had terrible pay, slaves didn't get paid at all. They just worked from the minute they wake up to the minute they sleep. Besides that, I agree with you, the working conditions was still bad.
DeleteJason
No, the change from slaves to peasants wasn't positive, in fact I believe minimal changes occurred because of the shift. Slaves were beaten, abused, starved, killed and their families were significantly destroyed, the change in labor systems did not end that, it just made it common. Now, all lower class individuals had to suffer under extreme conditions just to put food on the table for their families. "...from relatively healthy to relatively unhealthy environments: deafening, psychologically straining, mentally exhausting, kind of traditional workplaces. " The new labor force reinvented careers and jobs, the new jobs were far more dangerous than the old traditional ones, which caused disease and filth to spread. "Industrialization plunged workers into misery: uprooting lives, disrupting families, imposing bleak new working conditions, throwing up hideous cities rife with filth and disease." The changes to the labor system was a failure, disease and death and filth spread at such a rapid rate, never seen before. Also without any reformation systems things were going to stay like this for a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteMohammed, yes I agree that people were still treated poorly after industrialization, however I disagree that there was minimal change from slavery. In some cases there was minimal change, for example how people were no longer "forced" to work but if they didn't work they would die of starvation. Overall, however, I believe that slaves were treated much worse, such as how they were owned and sold as if they were objects and beaten and abused everyday for no pay at all. Do you really think switching from slaves and peasants to factory workers was not a positive thing?
DeleteHey, friend. Although I do agree with you that the atmosphere in most factories was abysmal, this period had many radical changes. The use of these machines in factories did the work of many slaves, which meant that the use of slaves was unnecessary. This time period led to the establishment of women's rights, as stated in the 19th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Did I also mention that the ownership of slaves was disbanded at this time? Although you were right about the absurd working conditions, this time period did yield some important changes.
Delete-Emmanuel Damanakis
Hm, Although you have some valid answers my dear citizen I am going to refute this fine answer I am a middle class American worker and I have experienced the changes and I should say that the changes are marvelous, before I was unable to live being beaten and working hard by making materials by my own hand. Now I am able to reproduce anything in seconds because of these spectacular machines Ah my dear boy, I have not died yet, although I have heard many tragedies. We have good news though woman have to work now (according to my textbook) they don't even get payed a dime closer to what I get payed aha, children have to work to, (according to my textbook) they are able to fit into small places my dear boy that us tall people cannot fit. Its great that I am not married in this mad world but I'm glad I am living this life because I get paid well, more productions are made, although their are some dangers involving this work, it is definitely a positive step for humanity, because slavery is never morally correct
DeleteSincerely,
William Garring XIV
-Christopher Petronella
I agree on your points that industrialization failed to improve living or working conditions for people, but it must be considered that they at least were not indentured in these occupations, or were subject to serious abuses or could be bought and sold as if they were products or goods rather than actual people with working minds. Peasants were bought and sold with the land, and slaves were expected to work hard in fields for hours on end. To me this seems like an equal to being stuffed in a factory, both hot and in both cases starving or otherwise physically malnourished from poor conditions of living. The lower class has always been subject to this kind of treatment during this time period, slavery or factory didn't change that their lifespans were shortened by physical hard labor. It also must be mentioned that even though pay was low (especially for women and children), it was still better than being paid nothing at all and being forced to work for the owner's endeavors.
DeleteYes, the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers was a positive step for humanity because it changed the working conditions for workers. It made the lives of peasants and slaves more humane. Workers went from the working outside in the fields to working inside in factories. However, some may argue that factories was a negative thing because it allowed women and children to work. Factories were able to produce items faster using machines. Having machines made working a lot easier, because women were also able to help out. This showed a sign of equality between women and men. For children, working in a factory was much safer than farming and hunting. Having factories allowed anyone to work, leading to industrialization. The changes in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers was a positive step for humanity, it improved the working conditions and it also lead to industrialization.
ReplyDelete- Jason Chen
Jason, I agree with you when you talk about how “…machines made working a lot easier…”, as factories did help many factory owners and workers yield profits and make decent salaries, but I disagree with you when you say “it made the lives of peasants and slaves more humane”. Working conditions in factories were far from mediocre, let alone humane. Many of the factory workers in places like textile mills were forced to work long hours in unventilated and dark factories. Moreover, the low wages and risks associated with certain jobs outweighed the little amount of benefits they received from their jobs. Other than that, I think you did a wonderful job on your post, great job Jason!
DeleteJason I agree that production of resources by machines were a lot faster considering women and children now had a role in the factory, however many women and children were treated badly as a result. There wasn't equality between women and men; women and children worked just as hard as men and yet men were still payed more money due to physical prowess. Also the lives of peasants and slaves weren't humane because they worked long hours in locked factories which led to tragedies such as the infamous "Triangle Fire". The "Triangle Fire" resulted in the fourth highest loss of life from an industrial accident in U.S. history. Although Industrialization seemed to have been beneficial to the world, it was at the expense of many innocent lives of hard workers who did want to live in poverty.
Delete-Jordan
The change in labor systems changed the world for the better. The use of slaves for manual labor started to diminish in many places, due to the implementation of machines to replace men. The implementation of machines made it so that new businesses could rise, making it so that people could get jobs to feed their families. Men, women, and children worked in these factories, although they worked in dangerous atmospheres for low wages. Two examples of these changes can be seen in the United States and in Europe. In Europe, the economy was unchanged due to the abolition of slavery since these machines were able to do the work slaves were able to do faster. The ideas of abolishing slavery in Europe spread into Latin America, and caused the abolition of slavery in the colonies of Latin America. In the United States, although the abolition of slavery created a void in the labor force, it was soon filled by immigrants from Europe, such as the Irish due to the potato famine , and the Italians to escape religious persecution. Large factories started to cause people to move to towns, since farms were becoming obsolete, and the rise of factories meant for more job opportunities. This period of time is known for it's shift into the process of our modernization. Although there was a gap in equality between men and women during this time, this period led to the beginning of the Women's Rights Movement and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
ReplyDelete-Emmanuel Damanakis
Although I took a similar stance on the topic, it can still be argued that the shift in labor systems was in fact negative. As evidenced by the quote “In industrializing economies, it is doubtful how far wage labor was morally superior to slavery.” we can see that although "the use of slaves for manual labor started to diminish" working conditions weren't much better than that of previous eras.
DeleteAlthough a lot of negative came along with the change in labor systems, such as long hours for little pay, diseases and pollution spread, dangerous working conditions, and the unsanitary tenements people had to live in to be close to the factories, it was all still better than being a slave. "..slaves were both a vital labor force and a major export product." Slaves were treated like object, had no respect from anyone, and got paid nothing for their hard labor. Other than that, industrialization also opened a lot of opportunities for employment for everyone, meaning men, women, children, and immigrants. Immigrants, women and children were wanted because they would work long hours for little pay because people were desperate for money. "..half the women employed claimed that they worked because their husbands could not earn enough to support their families." Women became looked at in different way. They gained somewhat respect because they were needed in the workforce because the men couldn't do it on their own.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers could be both a positive step for humanity and a negative one. A positive way that the change in labor systems helped humanity was that it got rid of the need for slaves and peasants to do most of the work without any pay(or very little pay.). Without needing peasants and slaves, the slave trade ended, and so did the amount of people that ‘owned’ other people. This was better for most of the people, they were able to live their own life, they weren’t forced to do work by other people. Although, this didn’t really help everyone, because even once they were freed from their owners, they still needed to get money to support their families. The Ex-slaves had to work in the factories still, though they weren’t physically being forced to do any labor, in order to survive, they had to. Another example of the Change in labor systems effecting humanity was that now women had to work, kids as well. This was probably one of the worst things that happened when Industrialization took place, it led to kids dying, because they were being sucked into the machines, and to women getting paid unfairly, and less than men. In the long run, the change in labor system was beneficial, it got rid of slavery and brought in the idea that women can work besides man. It also made people realize that kids in the workforce, is probably not a good idea.
ReplyDelete-Samantha Aversano
1) Using at least two examples from the text, was the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity?
ReplyDeleteThe change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers was a positive step for humanity, and although there was a lot of unjust decisions and actions being made, such as lesser pay for a women or child, it ultimately led to the benefit of the people as a whole. According to the textbook, advocates of factories believed that “…factories represented a truly noble achievement: proof of progress, a seemingly magical extension of human power over the rest of nature…” This was true for the most part, as they not only provided jobs for the people, they also helped mass produce luxuries previously unknown to the lower classes, such as soap. According to the textbook, industrialization enabled the lower-middle class to purchase items like soap, which were once considered a luxury meant only for the affluent. Furthermore, industrialization helped women and children earn, although not nearly as much as their male counterpart, a salary, allowing both women and children to take part in the success of industrialization.
1) Using at least two examples from the text, was the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity?
ReplyDeleteAlthough many people may argue the exact opposite, I for one believe this shift toward industrialization was in fact a good one. Though factory workers were forced to endure low pay and harsh living conditions, these changes set the stage for a modern, technologically advanced world and was clearly a positive step for all of humanity. In terms of morality and ethics, however, factory workers faced conditions similar to that of slavery and indentured servitude. “In industrializing economies, it is doubtful how far wage labor was morally superior to slavery.” As true as this statement may be, this new wave of industrialization caused sweeping changes around the world and molded our nation and the rest of the world into what it is today- clearly revealing itself as a positive step for all of humanity.
The exact opposite of your response would be that there was no positive to industrialization. One example would be how Persia did not industrialize like everyone else. Also how Africa became a third world country because they did not industrialize. I don't know if this is what Mr. Sosa wanted.
DeleteI believe that industrialization was a step toward the right direction, but there were many sacrifices that people had to make to keep up with all of these changes. People had to work through harsh conditions like low wages, cramped areas, and fatigue. Not only did adults work, but children worked along side the adults, but they were paid as much as women were paid. Many children died doing this job. Even though people had to work through these hard conditions they became more advanced in everything. In canada they became very advanced in agriculture and in Asia they advanced with railroads and many other inventions. People started to suburbanize which also lead to a big change due to industrialization. Even though these people got paid and lived in apartments they were treated like they were slaves. If these changes didn't happen then we would not be as advanced as we are today. We could be like Africa and be a third world country.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, if industrialization hadn't happened at all there would be no "third world countries." There would've been no opportunity for any country to be THAT far behind because well everybody was at the same pace more or less. There wouldn't have been so much death and inequality. If nobody ever industrialized we'd all be farm happy people and that would be okay, with no opportunity for a good 3-4 areas to become world superpowers and take over and make everyone else look like crap.
DeleteHello Dominique :),
DeleteAlthough Industrialization did help with the advancements of technology, there are still remaining "third world countries" which do all the dirty work for the countries which have become more advanced than theirs. More advanced countries such as The US, Europe, and a few parts of Asia have had a much larger advantage for themselves rather than places such as South America and Africa. With all those sacrifices many people suffered greatly and not only that, but many people died from diseases which soon moved on to plagues because the city was entirely fifthly.
Using at least two examples from the text, was the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity?
ReplyDeleteThe change in Labor Systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers was definitely a negative step for humanity, perhaps it was a positive change for business owners and the already wealthy. The peasants went from working the fields and cultivating crops into dangerous working environments with new machinery and were forced to work overtime causing many deaths as a result of explosions, accidents and sometimes even fires. The triangle shirtwaist factory is a great example that comes to show how the women who were once just housewives were given the so called "opportunity" to work under such hazardous and not to mention unsanitary conditions for inadequate wages. And then one day a fire started and the owner had locked all fire exits prior to the fire in order to enforce that no one could leave until allowed to and was the reason that hundreds of these women were killed, thats more a murder than an accidental fire in my opinion. The factories were built to replace the manual labor force, taking away jobs from many individuals, and even though it created many jobs with maintenance they came with very risky consequences and not enough pay.
In my opinion, Industrialization was a positive step for humanity. Although there were negative aspects of Industrialization, the world was progressing technologically at a great pace. All classes of people worked including women and children. Factory owners managed to find labor for women and children despite the differences in their respective physical prowess as opposed to males; they were still payed similar amounts. Most countries improved greatly due to Industrialization and those that were behind regarding technology greatly improved by emulating successful countries. An example would be Europe and Japan. Both countries became formidable industrial powers due to emulating successful military and industrial countries (Britain and United States). Even though living conditions were questionable for factory workers, if the advances in labor had not occurred, poverty would have a greater effect on our country.
ReplyDelete- Jordan
DeleteI agree with you that factory work allowed a more diverse workforce to be enabled, but I feel that you made it seem to positive. I mean women and children were paid far less that men and worked just as hard, so that was a very big negative. Imagine a little girl working for hours and getting paid less than the men doing a similar job. Actually, you don't have to imagine that, because you are already living that out, you little girl of a bum Kevin Love.
Delete-zach
NO. No, no, no, no, no. The change in labor systems was an absolutely awful thing. I don't know why or when or how this became okay in the world, but people dying in massive numbers for their work is not a cool thing. Death by machine was huge. The machines they used once industrialized were unsafe and a hazard to everyone. And then there was the disease. Since everyone worked in the city, everyone had to live in the city, and well, newsflash, the city ain't that big. So people had to live on top of each other. And with each other and breathe the same disgusting air as each other and from one mysophobic person to the next, thats horrifiying (someone who's freaked out by germs). So now that everyone's living together, they're excreting together and getting sick together and this causes plague. More death. And then there was the claimed abolition of slaves, but elohel just kidding not really. Cheap "coolie" labor was used, taking people from their homes and messing them up completely. These cheap workers were treated like dogs, probably not even as well as dogs were being treated. Then there were the children, because sure having a seven year old run a mine is the greatest idea anyone's ever had. Too many people died and this was seriously not okay.
ReplyDelete1) Using at least two examples from the text, was the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity?
ReplyDeleteYes, i do believe the change of labor systems (from slaves to factory workers) was actually a positive step for humanity. Although their were many deaths that were involved with the factories, slaves were treated worse. Getting abused and being forced into a life of labor is unfair. Factory workers at least got paid (depending on sex gender) a good amount and more production came out of it. Therefore it was positive for the economy as well. An example from the text, is American industrialization with their progress America was able to build railroads and were able to produce enough material for living. Another example is Latin America, how they failed to industrialize and because of that their economy faied therefore their decisions have caused them to die out a little, so it was actually a better idea to change from slavery o factory working because it helped out all together.
-Christopher Petronella
I believe that the change in labor systems was a negative and positive step for humanity. The change in labor systems caused many different things, such as more people losing their jobs in the farms and being forced to live in a city with very small tenant homes forced to work on machines for very very little pay. This contributed with everyone, and if it couldn't get any worse the females and children were always paid a lot less and were most of the time taken advantage of. When so many people moved into an urban area, there were an abundance of dirt and diseases which caused many people to die and make a lot more other people sick. All these people needed to work near their job which means everyone was literally on top of each other and the houses were extremely small filled with usually a large group of people who shared a bathroom. Even so, when people used to work on farms they used to bury the trash under the dirt near their houses and it usually wouldn't be a problem because it wasn't as much, but since many people had that custom the city became absolutely filthy. Even though it may seem that it was "better" than slavery, it was still awful working conditions for very little to get by. The only people who could afford a house farther away from the city and live a more "luxurious" life where managers, and the following people over them especially the people who owned many factories. Which gave some people opportunities to gain more money, but the opportunity didn't flash by everyone. Another negative factor was that their were workers from the city who would go out of the country and motivate people from China or India to work in usually mines and if they didn't comply they were usually taken and were forced to work on them. They were called "coolies: laborers usually from poor communities in India and China, conned or coerced at miserable wages..." These people that were taken were usually people who looked strong enough to work. The only positive thing that came out of the change of Labor systems was that they were able to create difficult machinery and become a lot more advanced in technology. One thing the text book states is “The factories represented a truly noble achievement: proof of progress, a seemingly magical extension of human power over the rest of nature.” In the sense of business and technology it became a positive step, but based on morality it was still truly awful. To be honest, even though these conditions were tragic, it was for the greater good because now we have many things that we could not possibly create before if industrialization did not take place. Although there were horrible sacrifices to come along with that, the change in labor system was horrible for human morals but a good step towards the development of technology.
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ReplyDeleteUsing at least two examples from the text, was the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity?
ReplyDeleteThe change in systems of labor and work was overall a positive one for humanity in my personal opinion. The end of the widespread usage of slavery and serfdom put an end to a long tradition of forced servitude that didn't guarantee pay, human rights, or any sort of pay off in the long run. People were born into it, and were stuck on plantations for life, or on the estates of rich lords. The induction of new military technology into civilizations that had lagged behind Industrialization as it took place in the West allowed them to break their chains and take control for themselves, rather than relying on higher classes to protect and house them. The Japanese Samurai lost power with the arrival of gunpowder and other military technologies that anyone could wield without training. The deconstructing of old class systems allowed for common people to take up work or live for themselves rather than in the servitude of others. The abolition of slavery was a positive step forward for people of African descent, who were only seen as indentured workers by landowners. Some didn't even believe they were human beings of the same rank. The removal of slavery was synonymous with the adaption of factory work and mechanization, as a machine could produce multiple times more goods than a group of people could. As a result, millions of people were freed from social injustice as labor took on new forms and work overall became easier and simpler.
If I had to decide I would say that while the immediate outcome from peasants and slaves to factory workers wasn't great, it was indeed a big step in the right direction. Immediately after the transition from field to factory workers, conditions went from bad to absolutely horrendous. Peasants who were field workers in a nice cozy house on around an acre of land were now crammed into a tiny apartment. The sanitary conditions of their homes and environment were so bad that most developed lethal diseases that lead to their deaths. That along with the fact that factory workers were mentally and physically abused by their labor and sometimes 16 hour shifts meant that the initial transition were atrocious. Slaves as well, while gaining their freedom and entering into a free peasantry, were brought into conditions even they had not seen. They had mostly been used when the light went up until the light went down, but now that they are working in factories inside, they could be used for countless more hours at a pittance of a wage. Even with these terrible attributes associated with the initial transition into a factory labor force, we will eventually see a union form, with benefits for the people, less working hours and most of all an escape from the havoc that was the original factory labor system.
ReplyDelete-zach
DeleteUsing at least two examples from the text, was the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity?
ReplyDeleteThe change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers was a positive step for humanity. The factories and new technologies were invented to help make work easier and get things done faster. Therefore, instead of working out all day in the hot weather, slaves and peasants were able to work at factories instead of wasting time. Although there were deaths and other things happening because of the factories, I think it was worth it for the people. It was a positive step to humanity because it reduced the physical things people had to do and things were getting done much faster and efficient.
The change from peasants and slaves to workers in factories was a step in the right direction for humanity because it gave rights to people that in the past didn't have any but was marred by many negative effects. Although people now had rights, many of them were limited because of their ver small salaries. Without a lot of pay people were stuck working all the time and weren't really allowed to enjoy life. However women were allowed to work for the very first time during this time period but they were abused in their jobs and were seen less valuable than men. Because of this view of women, they were payed less than men for doing the same exact job which is the reason why many factory owners hired women.
ReplyDelete1) Using at least two examples from the text, was the change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers a positive step for humanity?
ReplyDeleteThe change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers was not a good step for humanity. These people were forced to work long hours, bad environments, and little pay. The rich exploited the factory workers in order to increase profits. They were treated terribly and in some cases died or lost limbs, hair, etc. Children were forced to work in order to supplement the families income because their parents weren't able to support the family by themselves. At least with peasants and slaves, they worked on farms and could stop when the sunlight died. It wasn't such harsh conditions except for maybe the slaves but the conditions were expected because they were slaves. Peasants had a degree of more freedom than factory workers.
I agree with you Markella. It was not a good step for humanity for peasants because it was never fair by them working for long hours in a bad environment.
DeleteThe step from slavery to factory workers was both a step back and forward in different directions (if that makes it a paradox, so be it). The help of innovation in technology led to great strides in the advancements of mechanization. The problem is, in relation to the work force, it led to great chaos in the working class of many societies. The leap into mechanization led to a great increase in urbanization all over the world, this leap caused many working farmers to become commercialized and began to grow cash crops rather than their native foods, as well as new foods. Because of this, fresh food became a lesser known commodity and the mass production of cash crops, led to the infiltration of agricultural diseases to become eminent and, as we learned in the last chapter, led to great famine and destruction of major populations (like the potato famine of Ireland). Similarly, the increase in the factory system all over the world, led to the introduction of women and children in the work force. This change was a stepping stone for women’s rights, but also caused the deaths and underpayment of many children and women that worked low class jobs during this time. The treatment of these groups created a chaotic environment, disease amongst them, and death, but also led to stricter regulations and laws on the treatment of men, women, and children in the work force that would improve the lives and status’ of many working urban jobs all over the world. So the step from slavery to factory urbanization was neither all good, nor all bad; it is double edged because of the good that came from it, as well as the bad that still plagues our societies today.
ReplyDeleteThe change in labor systems from peasants and slaves to factory workers was not a very positive step for humanity. Yes, it did have machines and let products to be produced faster but to the workers who worked there it was not a good condition. They were forced to work long hours in a packed area where it was filled with dust and by working long hours, they were not paid the amount that they should have been paid. Since the conditions in the factory was so bad that there were many accidents and people died from it. Also there were many women and children working in the labor force getting treated badly and the bad environment caused them to have diseases such as tuberculosis and led them to death. It was good for the consumers who bought the product because things came out faster and better for the owners of the factory because they were able to gain a lot of money but the the lower caste, it was just another pain for them because they did not benefit from it.
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