Saturday, April 19, 2008

Life Before the Industrial Revolution

Producing goods was all done by hand or simple machines. It took longer to produce a little. For example the spinning wheel could only be operated by one person, who powered it by a foot petal, which then only produced one thread at a time. Many people worked at homes in rural areas and some worked in shops in towns. Only a few industries existed all over Europe. Craft workers worked with simple tools and created leather goods, silverware, weapons, hardware, jewelry, and pieces of cloth. People traded town products for food raised in the country side. Communication between people and transportation was very poor. People had to work hard, especially farmers. Many people work all day, but still produce a little and earned a little. A lot of workers suffered from malnutrition, which then makes it easier to catch diseases. The quality of life of the people before industrialization was poor.

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