Shahman-Philosophy of Manufactures

In Andrew Ure’s “The Philosophy of Manufacturers” which was written in 1835, he explains how the new manufacturing system is beneficial to works because it relieves them of the tedious work they would have to endure when manufacturing by hand. The storyline of this document entails that during the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing was taken to a new level with the added technologies like the cotton mills, steam engines, and as well as many machines used in production. The industrial revolution paved the way for Britain to become a big part of international trade and production and has overall benefitted their economy. Nonetheless, industrialization has also caused an uproar of worker complaints as machines are taking up their jobs. 

Andrew Ure believed that using machinery to produce goods for Britain was much easier and more efficient in the broad terms as it allowed for more products to be produced in a shorter period of time if it were to be manufactured by hand. Ure gives examples as to how industrialization has benefitted and has made production much easier like using cotton mills to produce clothing, steam engines, and machines within factories to produce goods. The new factory system had also created more job opportunities as they would need people to operate the machinery. However, this also caused a lot of unemployment to the previous workers because they are not skilled enough to do the job required now. Job like engineers, shipbuilders, construction workers, and more were needed now and those jobs require more skill, whereas jobs before were more tailored to those who weren’t as skilled. People who were in the upper class or a higher class in general were given more opportunities as they were educated and skilled enough to do the new jobs that were created because of industrialization.

The rising industrialization of Britain caused a fluctuation in the employment. The workers who previously had jobs were unemployed which caused a an uproar. Workers have been complaining that they have no way to sustain themselves and are at risk of moving down in the hierarchy of classes in their society. The workers are saying that this problem would affect their future and their children as they wouldn’t be able to get the same opportunities as they would because they don’t have the money or the class to obtain it. 

Andrew Ure mentions that turning to using more machinery is a lot cheaper than hiring workers to do the exact same job. The replacement of men for cheaper labor is also apparent, especially in the cotton mills. He discusses that men are much more expensive to hire than women and children, meaning that women and children are cheaper to employ, and thus, giving them jobs in the cotton mills. Females as young as 16 are being hired and are working at the cotton mills and in the long run it would be cheapest labor and saves money for the industry to spend on other things. Overall, Ure believes that industrialization has not only benefited Britains economically but it has also created many jobs for skilled workers and has been a blessing to the industry. 

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