The Industrial Revolution came during a time of international struggle between countries for power and strength. These advances led Great Britain to become the most powerful and wealthiest nation of the nineteenth century. Britain gained much of its wealth through factories and the use of machines in their factories. These machines effectively saved owner’s money and time but caused upset within the working class.

Andrew Ure was passionate about the Industrial Revolution’s advancements and the benefits new technology brought. The factory owners gained wealth and formed a new class due to the Industrial Revolution. New machines were exciting and very speedy, but the working class was worried that they would end up losing jobs to new advances. They complained of low wages and harsh living conditions. Ure ignored these complaints and instead argued that the factory system is beneficial to workers. The machine did most of the work which allowed workers to take fewer breaks and ultimately make more money. Ure sees improvements in technology as a gift “bestowed on society”. He calls scientific advances “philanthropic” and assumes it assists the working class by taking more off their plate. These revolutions brought along greater productivity and wealth to the nation.

Ure’s goal for the world is to get to a point in which “mechanical science” takes over. In this future no one would work with just their hands. The most expensive part in manufacturing was the workers, but with these machines that expense has been vastly cut. Ure talks about different machines and how each of them greatly impacted the workers as well as their society. The cotton mills spin the cotton and can be managed by just a young girl. Whereas before a more experienced person would have to do it by hand which would cost the owner more. Steam-engines help to power all the machines. They also create a constant need for fuel. The machines need for power creates more jobs. To procure coal there needs to be a team of miners and engineers. To move the coal around from city to city you need sailors.

Ure’s concluding reasons for his passion about the industrial revolution all stem around making more money. The machines made it possible to create items that before were impossible to do by hand. This means that there could be new places in the market for manufactures to make money. Quality items are still made, but in lesser time which allows the business owner to essentially pay workers less while receiving more product in a shorter time. And thirdly bosses can now hire younger and more unqualified persons due to the amount of work that the machine does.

Andrew Ure’s views represent that of the new manufacturer class. He is focused on the scientific revolutions and what the possible benefits could be. He envisions a world where factory jobs no longer require skill and instead are full of people receiving low wages. Although Britain flourished during this time the workers suffered in the process.