Industrialization in America the Process of Industrialization

Industrialization in America

The process of industrialization can be categorized as the first step towards a social and economic transformation which affected the whole world in ways beyond comprehension. In a nutshell, the world we live in today was nowhere near what it is today before industrialization changed the face of the world. America too greatly adapted to this change and saw itself changing and advancing in the face of the new inventions and advancements. However, with the benefits of the phenomenon came some drawbacks which could not be ignored. The next sections focus on two ways in which industrialization proved to be a blessing for the Americans as well as two ways that it created problems (Alonso, 1994).

Positives:

One industry that saw phenomenal changes after industrialization came about was the American agricultural industry. The farming techniques became greatly advanced and mechanization made things much easier and reduced the extent to which human labor was required. The quick and more cost effective techniques enabled the farmers to focus on ways in which they could increase the levels of profitability. Industrialization also brought about advancements like fertilizers and high production seeds which enhanced the production levels by massive levels leaving the farmers to enjoy the economies of scale and minimum costs. The initial costs of machinery and technology were usually high but it was not so hard to recover those initial costs and turn it into high levels of profit. These advancements also meant that there was more food production and the processes of specialization could take place and the access food could be traded for something that was not being produced within America.

Also, accessing from the fact that when industrialization first came about, most of the Americans were farmers and all they had to support themselves was the cultivation of crops and their animals to rear so although this particular industry picked up slower than the other sectors in the country, it still had long lasting and beneficial effects for the people of America. The basic needs of clothing and to feed themselves still existed and this proved to be a head start for the Americans to earn money through the agricultural sector and then divert their profits into some other sector or industry to grow them and advance their living standards.

Another one of the most important advancements that the United States may have seen after the industrialization era was that of the developments in the infrastructure of the country and the building of railways to ease the mobility of people as well as goods from one place. This was one of the most integral changes that could have possibly been made and it changed the way things were done and carried out. Communication was made much easier and the mobility of people increased. This effectiveness of travelling also made life a bit fast paced because it greatly saved up on time that was spent travelling and more things could get done in the meanwhile (Amsden, 2000).

Judging how the effective communication was helping the citizens, the government soon started to give out grants and subsidize the building of these rail tracks to enhance the communication industry. This also in turn created job opportunities for the unemployed manual labor that lacked any expertise and could not operate the new technology and machinery that was now being used in different sectors. Thus this working class had some form of a job due to this construction and it led to innovative and cost effective travelling methods. To build these, there was also a need for construction material such as iron, ore, coal, steel and lumber which gave a rise to the employment in this industry and also helped develop this sector as the need for raw material kept increasing by the day. This became a cycle of employment and development because one industry's needs were being fulfilled by another industry thus creating a circle of advancements, employment, development and innovation. In this manner, the United States was slowly whirling in the circle of industrialization and witnessing the greatest transformation ever.

Negatives:

Where industrialization has its benefits and has eased life for the Americans, there is a total different side of the story as well. As discussed earlier, the phenomenon of industrialization has created employment opportunities but it is also a considerable fact that this also caused lots of people to lose their jobs. Some workers and employees could not keep up with the industrialization process and learn the skills for the new jobs. The lower classes stuck by their manual labor and did not adapt to the new technology because it was too complicated and required a lot of training for which they might not have had the accessibility or the finances. The jobs which previously required manual labor and the major input from the humans themselves were slowly transformed into jobs that simply were not that simple anymore. Although if the labor gained the training, their task became much easier but considering the restricted number of resources, there were many who were simply left out (Walker, 2004).

Also, some of the employees left their jobs because trade became easier and globalization came along with industrialization and people were more reliant upon fast and speedy things and thus, the small shop owners and the small businesses suffered on part of these huge brands and chains that opened up. Businesses became large and specialized and everything was available under one roof and especially readymade and packaged for the life that was soon to become fast paced. It started having heavy implications on the small entrepreneurs with limited finances and access to resources.