Mr. Coffman's Classroom

This blog is for the students of Liberty High School. This is an open forum for them to discuss class projects, events and interact with each other about the history they have experienced in class.

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Location: Lee's Summit, Missouri

This is my 20th year as a teacher and my eighth in the Liberty School District. I love getting students to think about the world they are living in by visiting the past.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

How can the problems of Industrialization be resolved?

Child labor, low wages, unsafe working conditions, pollution, and lack of governmental regulations were all problems that occurred during the Industrial Revolution. Today, many countries are beginning to industrialize and the same conditions that occurred in the United States a century ago are happening in those countries today. Is industrialization worth it? Are the problems that are caused by rapid growth in a countries economy just an inevitable outcome or can they be prevented or solved by the government or business? What kind of solutions would you bring to the table if you were to offer suggestions to governments thinking about industrializing? Read what others before you have said and debate the merits of their ideas.

40 Comments:

Blogger katie said...

Although countries are beginning to industrialize and some of the same conditions that occurred over a century ago are arising today, industrialization is worth it. These conditions can be taken care of and prevented with only a few changes. First of all the government today has formed unions in order to stop these poor conditions. Also, many laws have been passed in order to improve industries. Such laws include child labor laws, minimum wage, and many safety acts. I strongly believe that with out industries citizens in the United States would be living in poverty just like many other countries. Even though there are a few disadvantages to industrialization, industries are what us citizens depend on.

2:16 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I think these new countries that are trying to get into the industrial world, should kind of look at the mistakes of past countries who have already started, and see what they did wrong and what they did right, and what their doing now, to prevent certain things from happening. I think it is worth it to move into the industrial world, because if you dont you will always just be a "third world" country.

3:55 PM  
Blogger kevans said...

I think there are more advantages of having an industrial world then disadvantages. Although there have been many problems in the past that are sparking up now, I believe those problems can be resolved. The government has already made changes by creating certain laws to protect the people. For example, they have created child labor laws to protect children from being treated poorly or getting hurt working in factories. I believe living in an industrial nation is well worth it.

7:31 PM  
Blogger maggie said...

when it comes to industrialization all countries need to consider past mistakes as stated by a previous student. these countries that are considering or already in the industrial stages need to realize that it can help them and hurt them. these countries need to understand that laws and regulations need to be considered to protect the people the way the governement should. they need to put in to act health codes, child labor laws, work hour restrictions and minimum wage. by instating these few things thier industrialization process will only help these countries and make them stronger. i would say that industialization is a smart thing when it comes to bettering a country in all aspects.

9:18 PM  
Blogger Laura said...

I feel that areas with rapid growth have more problems. There are many ways to have helped the industrial revolution and create a more orginize society. First, I think the government should have made laws against child labor, low wages, and benifits. There should have been health and other benifits to provide a good foundation for workers.
Also, the working conditions needed to be a lot safer then they were especially since childern were working in these places. They needed to be cleaner and not as crowed. These factories were huge fire hazards. If someone would have fixed these problems back then, then poverty wouldn't have been so large, disease, and other outbreaks would not have occured!

10:09 PM  
Blogger paige said...

i think the problems rely in the governmant not caring for people enough.- the kind of people that don't make much money but still work just as hard as college graduates. poor working conditions, long hours, and low wages are not something that we accept here in the united states but we can deal with it if it is not americans that are being hurt. us as amercans need to step up to the plate ust as the government should too. peace

12:48 PM  
Blogger SamyJoe said...

So deffenitly after looking at what jake and katie said i believe that i must say that i agree and disagree with the things they had to say. I dont believe that not moving to the industrial worl will keep countries at a "third world" country state...i just think that they will have to work alot harder. Jakes point of looking at the past countries and learning form their mistakes is a great idea. Also i believe that industrialization is worth it. Bad conditions can be taken care of by laws and regulations.

1:11 PM  
Blogger Luke 19 said...

I see industrialization as a vital part of a country developing into a stabilized econemy. As for what should be done with the preblems that come with it, buisness and government should find a middle man they both agree with thier standards, but have to be reseanable to the workers. As for me when I was little my parents got me into what I wanted to do at the time witch was be on T.V., such as commercials of be on a couple holiday cards. When I got my first job I had to sign along with my mom agreeing that I was going to be working under age and under regulations. It seems to me that it is relativley easy to get around child labor laws but still serve a purpuse that they are ment to serve.

9:51 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Essentially the problems of Industrialization cannot be resolved, there can be steps taken to help prevent previous problems, however new problems come about no matter what. The key issue with trying to solve any problem in the world is time. What kind of time scale are we looking at to make the change that we want to make? Do we want to see a change immediately? In one year? In five years? Believe me when I say that I would love to see this world change and all the problems go away, but what a lot of people, in the United States of foreign countries, want immediate action to be done. At the end of the day it is immediate actions that can cause the most harm. When dealing with peoples lives I feel that the best way to approach any situation is to look at previous mistakes, (like many comments before me suggest), analyze how you can try and prevent those and then take it step by step, trying your hardest to insure that the wellness of both your employees and your company are accounted for. Major ways to achieve this are through setting up work programs that restrict the number of hours a week that you can work, the age limit at which you can start working, a minimum wage to state the smallest amount that you can earn in both salary and hourly jobs, and attempting to provide not only for your workers but also for their families as well.

11:59 PM  
Blogger amyh said...

I think that in order to develop and mature as a country you have to put yourself into the industrial world and just take the consequences. The government could make and enfore laws to protect its people from these consquences. If a country does not make changes in its economy it could lead to its demise or the falling of its economy. Though not making changes can keep you safe, it will also put you behind in the race for better development.

10:24 AM  
Blogger tanner said...

The problems of Industialization in other countries can be resolved by the same methods we used one by forming a union to pickit if wages go to low. Another is to set child labor laws to prevent children from getting hurt. One way they could do this is by making children go to school so they have something to do. The Government could set regulations on wages and safety regulations so the working conditions are not poor, unsafe, unsanitary, or over crowded.

10:29 AM  
Blogger David said...

Industrialization in not exactly bad. There is some good form the economy. The countries that are industrializing need to talk to the countries and learn from there mistakes. For example, your parents telling you they done this they've done that. The reason is because they have been through the problem. Back to the question. Now there are laws that prevent mistakes. Jobs provide health insurance and companies have to pay minimum wage, and there has to be inspections at companies for safety regulations. The United States is based on Industrialization.

1:36 PM  
Blogger Chris Young said...

The progression of human life is the one thing nature cannot stop. Industrialization is necessary for several countries in the world that are now undergoing it. Struggle is nature's way of strengthening. America went through industrialization and we had many imminent problems in our factory system. However we eventually worked through those problems and look at us now, we have one of the leading economies in the entire world. In order for these countries to solve their problems... they need to do a lot of it on their own. Since we have been there before, America has the right to try and aide these countries suggesting minimum wage, safety regulations, state inspections, and labor unions and maybe our advice will help counrties get through this. In reality though, it is likely that differences in goverment would make these suggestions seem like a feeble attempt to spread Democracy, and incredibly condescending. So it is more than likely that our advice would fall upon deaf ears, but that doesnt mean we cannot try to help them.

5:46 PM  
Blogger alan kirk said...

I believe that industrializing is a necessary way of boosting economy, creating jobs, boosting trade, and raising capital. Altough problems come from big cities that industrialized, those problems can be resolved. By using apartments not tenements for the over population. Using alternative resources to fuel plants and other big pollution makers. Getting with energy efficient workers to reuse as much energy as possible. Then hiring more police and laws for the high crime rates in the city. Industrialization is a key to a growing country whom wants to raise their economy as well.

7:49 PM  
Blogger bri said...

it think that solving the problems of the industrial revolution rely on the workers, the government, and the business owners. they can all do something to stop it. the government today has set up enforced inspections and is doing everything in their power to stop these terrible conditions. the workers also could have done something to stop it, and you see it all the time today, labor unions and strikes. many laws have been passed by the government to prevent these conditions like child labor laws, monthly inspections of the workplace as well as many other safety laws and minimum wage. without everything that happened during industrial revolution, the united states economy would not be as strong as it is today.

9:00 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I do believe industrialization is worth all the problems that is caused by it. In todays world the only way to prosper is to have goods to trade and sell to other countries! Most third world countries that are in poverty and are very poor, have yet to industiralize. I believe industrialize these countries would rid of most the poverty in the world. It may cause problems at first but that is why they need strong governments to step in and keep it on track. The Government needs to protect the workers, either seting up regulations or just setting the bar on quality, pay and hours for the businesses. They will also have to keep the owners in check so they dont screw over the workers and treat them horribly like in england! Baisically the problems caused by industrialization can be prevented but the success of industriallizing all falls on how well the Government Contributs its power and money to it.

9:07 AM  
Blogger max anderson said...

There are alot of things they can do to improve industrialzation.
the workers can form Labor unions and strike for better wages and better working conditions
The Owners can up the wages so more workers will work
Government should invest in better buildings or safer building/not fire hazerdous and not so cramped
Also they should get rid of Child labor.

9:09 AM  
Blogger Ashey Edgar said...

Industrialization is worth it. At first the outcome may not seem to be so good, but look at where the industrial revolution got us? We are mass producing tons and tons of things. All that needed to happen when we started was that the government needed to take more control. Some examples are that the government should have started out with making the factories safer. They should have done random inspections to help prevent some of the diease and to help keep everything clean. If the government were to create other laws like child labor laws and inspections and things, the revolution would have been better

9:55 AM  
Blogger Agonino said...

Industrialization is always worth it. if a country wants to grow up big and strong like the US, they need to. They need to do it with care though. The factories need to be clean, safe, and wages need to be set a reasonable abount. No more diseases in the factories, no more darkness and smell. Factories need to be kept up. The government needs to pitch in too. If a factory is not safe, the government needs to step in and change it, for the good of the workers. Also, the workers eed to band tgether and form a union, so that they can't be pushed around.

10:00 AM  
Blogger kalli sherwood said...

i dont beieve that indusrialization should be totally banned. although it comes with bad things it also has its greater advantages. yes it has caused probems in the world but the government has made laws and rules to help prevent those problems this day. Like no child labor, working conditions are regulated nd kept clean and nothing like hey used to be. jake mentioned lookin at past countries and learning from he mistakes made which is true. we have seen what others went through and were able to stay with industrialization just made some changes for the better.

10:00 AM  
Blogger rwilzbach said...

I think that the problems of industrialization can be solved by learning from the mistakes that other countries have made while they were industrializing. If countries that are trying to industrialize right now learn from the mistakes that the United States made while they were industrializing they will be very successful. If the United States is at the top of the chain, then imagine if other countries would learn from the mistakes that we have made, they would be higher than the United States. If i were in charge of China or India would use the mistakes and make them for my advantage. I would build more living space so the working and living condition can improve drastically. I would always remember the three ways that would make industrialization so much better, have the government provide inspections, business to reinvest in thier companies, and have the workers form labor unions for thier behalf. I would most definately have an organization were the government and the workers could talk about how to enhance the situations. I would allow the country to have wealth, without that nothing else would work because the wealth wouldn't be shared among the people. If the countries use this to thier advantage they would go above and beyond in success.
Rachel Wilzbach

1:38 PM  
Blogger rwilzbach said...

I think that the problems of industrialization can be solved by learning from the mistakes that other countries have made while they were industrializing. If countries that are trying to industrialize right now learn from the mistakes that the United States made while they were industrializing they will be very successful. If i were in charge of China and India would use the mistakes and make them for my advantage. I would build more living space so the working and living condition can change for the better. I would always remember the three ways that would make industrialization so much better, have the government provide inspections, business to reinvest in thier companies, and have the workers form labor unions for thier behalf. I would most definately have an organization were the government and the workers could talk about how to improve the situations. I would allow the country to have wealth without that nothing else would occur. If the countries use this to thier advantage they would go above and beyond in success.
Rachel Wilzbach

1:39 PM  
Blogger SamanthaHadley said...

I believe, at times, that industralization is worth it. But there are times I do not think it's worth it. Today, we have managed to make laws so that children can go to school & later in their age if they want, they can get a job. I didn't get a job until I was 15. But back in the old days, kids younger than me had to work. Work can be fun, but if you're forced to work as a child, then your life may become miserable. And it's a good thing that today, child labor no longer exists. But back then, i bet it was really hard on those kids, evn to try & get an education & earn little money. It was only worth it because it wasn't just for them, but for they're family. But at times, kids/teens want to have a little spending money. I am so glad that the bad conditions imporved in the many years.

1:41 PM  
Blogger *Kyndal*Shaddox* said...

I believe that industrializing is necessary because it improves our economy, creates many jobs, and improves trade. Problems still come from industiralized cities though (Such as pollution) ,but problems can be resolved. This could be improved by making the apartments cleaner and neater with more space for people to live in which helps with disease, sickness, and it keeps things clean and not dirty like tentaments. Finding ways to make the pollution not as severe. Hiring people that are willing to work hard without complaining but they need to have reasonable hours, pay, no child labor and working conditions. Hiring more police and people to clean the factory to make it clean would also help. Another helpful idea for the factories would be to have fire drills and other sorts of crisis drills to prevent a serious accident from happening. You could also give your workers benefits to work at a certain factory. Industrialization is very important and is essential for any country that wants to grow and expand itself and its economy.

This should be worth 1 million points its amazing!

Keep this someday it will be worth lots of money when im rich and famous and you can say you knew me!

I love this class this much............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ I wrote a lot i should get extra credit! Please!!! :) Your going to miss me so much next year! See you tomorrow im your favorite student ever!

K to the yndal

2:37 PM  
Blogger Josh Johnston said...

Well, here are a few of my ideas. The government should make strict regulations and guidelines that the companys have to abide by, and if they don't they can get shut down. One common fix is labor unions, and they don't work in my opinion. I do think that some sort of agreement between the companys and the workers should be made, but labor unions destroy companies. The labor unions have so much power and control over the company, that it appears to seem that the labor unions control the company. For example, Ford Motor and GM are running out of business because of the aggrements that the labor unions and the companies in the past. Ford and GM have to pay there workers so much that they can not use the money on research and developement. This has caused these companies to loose business and be on the brink of bankruptcy. So i think that labor unions can be good to a point, but if taken too far they can hinder the company. So there should be unions but with limited power. As far as the companies, they will have to reinvest money into their factories because of the stiff regulations and guidelines that the government puts in action. This would then make the industrialization of the country very worth it and would help the country tremendously.

6:08 PM  
Blogger destiny said...

The promblems of industrialization can be resolved by making sure there are no children under a certain age working in factories. governments should have inspections regularly to make sure the working conditions are safe, and make sure they wages are live-able.

7:50 AM  
Blogger Chad Brenton said...

When our country industrialized, over one hundred years ago, we went through some hard and troubling times. Our economy grew as an effect of the new age. Now many other countries are coming to this decision. I think industrializing is a good path to follow, But actions can be taken to prevent and stop the problems the United States went through.
First the government needs to set a standard that all new businesses and factories have to abide by to keep running, including rules on energy efficiency, fire safety, employee retentions and training and regular government inspections. The Government should also create laws to help from inflation by giving requirements to what the owners can pay there workers. These business owners can also help keep the factories in good conditions too. They can invest in supplies and machinery for their factories to make the work area safer and more efficient.
There are many steps and actions to making an easy switch in one’s economy but there will always be problems and disasters that need fixing and or newer laws. So industrialization can be rough but the consequences for moving forward can be rewarding.

11:06 PM  
Blogger klewis said...

Even though there are many problems that arise with "industrialization" i feel that it is worth it for the country in the long run, and that it is worth the 'trouble'. First of all, industrialization brings many benefits to the country involving money and consumer goods. I mean, America went through the same period where we had difficulty with child labor, wages, etc., but we made it through just fine and we are thriving, we are the most powerful country today. It should even be easier for other countries NOW because there are certain laws established involving child labor, and minimum wage, and safety acts that will ensure success. All in all i think that industrialization is DEFINENTLY worth it for countries.

7:39 PM  
Blogger Handy Hannah and the Quiet Children said...

Countries that are beginning to industrialize now should look at what America did wrong in the past first. Industrialization is worth it so their economy improves. Industries would be important for an economy with rapid growth so there's enough jobs for everyone. Problems from rapid growth can be prevented with minimum wage, safety regulations, state inspections, and labor unions.

10:03 AM  
Blogger Nickolas Ellerbe said...

Industrialization could all be resolved by just stop selling automobiles and just selling bikes. they say that this is the fattest country in the world so I think that if we got rid of all the automobiles, then peopl might actually start excersizing and loosing weight.

11:48 AM  
Blogger Ryan Wolkey said...

I think that the problems of Industrialization is just another step toward a good economy that a country has to go through. Yes, we made mistakes such as child labor during this time that other countries can learn from, but in order to get to our status countries need to go through the same hardships that we did. Countries that are just now starting this idea now are showing the hardships and problems of Industrialization, but in the long run they will end up just fine.

4:30 PM  
Blogger Evan H said...

True industrialization can bring more job opportunities and products that can be consumed throughout the community but the mistakes that were made a century ago in the United States were made without the modern technology that we have today. Third world countries or other countries around the world who begin to industrialize should take advantage of having people before them accomplish what they're trying to obtain. These countries can take the problems the US and other already industrialized countries had and use those mistakes to their benefit in the effort to avoid preventable failure

8:48 AM  
Blogger Mason13 said...

Looking at a country's past can really help save time and prevent from making mistakes in the future. Industrialization is very good a country because new technology is made and becomes available for the country. Also during industrialization the countries economy will flourish and more people will be better off. Overall industrialization is great for everyone in a country and I think that all countries should attempt to industrialize.

3:20 PM  
Blogger the one and only ryan hilke said...

what i would "bring to the table" about a country discussing industialization i would say beware. look what has happened in the past with industrialization in our country. we had people, mostly little children running around in sweat shops getting their arms chopped off by accident and then people say, "Oh well he has another one."
we solved this problem, and they could too, with child labor laws saying how long they can work and then go on about working conditions of the factories and health things. although industrialization is a good thing for a country's industry and economy, they meed to make sure they dont take it too far and they need to worry about its people first

10:00 PM  
Blogger paige said...

i agree that we depend on undustries to support our materialistic life style but i dont agree that we should be depending. the book "ishmael" by Danniel Quinn changed my idea about that. his views on how we are detroying the world with the need to over power everything (such as industries) makes me think what we are really doing to the world when we polute and waste. industrialization makes life easier now for us but will destroy thw world later. yeah it sucks but i still think its true.

10:22 AM  
Blogger Caleb Fitzgerald said...

Whenever a country does decide to industrialize, there will always be sacrifices that must be made. With anything good there is always bad situations that go along with it. For the case of industrialization, it is good in the sense that it provides jobs for lots of Americans, as well as it boosts revenue which the government reaps from the taxes which they receive annually. However, like all things good, it comes with great sorrow as well. In this case the sacrifices for a better economy included; Child labor, low wages, unsafe working conditions, pollution, and lack of governmental regulation. However, in the event that a country is industrializing some of these terrible occurences can be avoided if regulations are placed over business. The good thing about knowing that these problems can occur due to industrialization, is that these problems which we've already faced, can be avoided in the future.

2:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Industrialization, is good and bad. What you have to see is that it number one it brings jobs to people. Secondly it gives the consumers of these products what they need. Thirdly, it shows that a country is actually making a change in a some kind of direction.

Now on the bad side it does have health factos because of the pollution caused by industrialization, which is not a good thing. But you can't always win. What I would bring to the table would be, that countries have to severely regulate the industrialization process. This could slow down the amount of bad it does towards peoples health. While at the same time bring good to economy.

2:20 PM  
Blogger steffen day said...

I think that industrialization will be worth it for other countries in the long run. If other countries just look at what we have done and learn from our mistakes then they will probably get out of rough times faster and be able to be more succesfull in a shorter time period than what it took us.

8:28 PM  
Blogger John Wehr said...

We can resolve our Industrialization problems by boosting the economy. If we did this, then families wouldn't have to send they're children to work just to support the family. Although this is easier said than done, it would work. Companies would have more money to spend on buying machines that are less dangerous and more people would want to work there.

9:26 PM  
Blogger dana said...

I think that if the government had an attitude of consideration for humans, then Industrialization could easily be resolved. These people have to realize that there's other things and much more important priorities in people's lives than just a job. There has to be time for school, if you're a student, family, and things that you want to do.

1:56 PM  

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