Ethics within the Apparel Industry Sweatshops are found worldwide, they are factories in the apparel industry that operate illegally, forcing workers to work long hours in horrible working conditions at a low salary. Often these workers are obligated to work under such condition not by choice, but rather they are obligated. These workers are often immigrants that are threatened with legal action, accused of committing crimes or ordinary people that are abducted and forced to work for free, frequently threatened with death. These workers are restricted from ethical rights. Sweatshops have always been an issue within the Apparel Industry; companies seek out cheap alternatives to having mass production of clothing for cheaper rates.
Taking a Stand: The Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was one of the biggest landmarks in history, in my opinion. It brought out this growth of ideologies. Liberals, Conservatives, and the seemingly radical group, the Socialist, all rose and grew as ideologies that sometimes may have seemed shallow in one light, but have a lot of depth and insight. They all had their reasons and much intellect behind their ideologies, whether they were contextualized in political sense as well as the social sense. There was a clash of thought as well because they were all so different.
Karl Marx Class Conflict and Today’s Perspectives Class-conflict is a word many also refer to as class warfare or class struggle. This type of tension or antagonism exists in society due to competitive socioeconomical interests and desires between people of different classes. There are many forms of class-conflict, such as starvation, unsafe working conditions, poverty, violence, cheap labor, and many more. Political and legal forms of class conflict also exist. Some examples of such would be, illegally lobbying or bribing government leaders to gain passage of certain laws, or tax codes.
Communism and socialism are based on the philosophy of Karl Marx whom proposed the radical idea of eradicating capitalism. His theory was not just an idea in the 20th century it was rapid growing concept that began being evoked by World leading powers such as the Soviet Union and China, where previously successful revolutions took place. Socialism and Communism arose in the late 18th and early 19th century as a reaction to the economic, political and social changes associated with the Industrial Revolution. Rapid wealth increased to factory owners whereas workers became increasingly impoverished due to harsh living and working conditions. As this capitalist industrial system spread, reactions in the form of socialist thought increased making it obvious that there was a dyer need for a revolution.
Companies fought the government and the courts for the right to become incorporated and to reap its many benefits. Capitalism has adapted in order to continue making profits. Capitalism was the primary reason for the shift from Fordism to Post-Fordism, as Post-Fordism was a more efficient model of production meaning greater profits. Capitalism requires ever expanding markets and constantly evolving methods of production, lest it cease to exist (Marx & Engels, 1848). In order to achieve this a production revolution of sorts took place in many advanced economies, countries shifted from Fordism to Post-Fordism.
The Industrial Revolution was a time of rapid development in industry that began in Europe, especially Great Britain, in the late eighteenth century, then spread to the United States and other countries. It was brought about by the introduction of machinery, and was characterized by the growth of factories and the mass production of manufactured goods . During this time, new technologies were created and made available to the public through the use of new production and transportation methods. Manufacturing goods became much easier, new businesses began, and as a result, America grew, both in population and influence. However, due to the Industrial Revolution, America began to stray from the vision the founding fathers had for the nation in the late 1700’s and 1800’s.
With the formation of labor unions, though, workers were able to use the very commodity of their own productive labor as a bargaining tool to secure fairer wages and working conditions from the capitalists. To date, however, the unionization of labor remains controversial, as proponents of the “free market” view union interference as detrimental to the economy, and union activists regard unionization as a necessary check to the potential exploitative excesses of unrestrained capitalism. (Housen, 2012) Why Unions? According to Merriam Webster dictionary, labor union is defined as an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions. The majority of the population works for someone else.
America had the resources to solely rely on agricultural, but the incoming of new inventions made it harder to pass up a great opportunity and America had to use these innovations to their advantage. The Industrial Revolution brought many settlers to America to work in the growing factories. More workers meant more production, thus creating an economic boom in America. This economic boom was also the start of prosperity for the people in America. The fact that people would travel West and have a new way of life using the new technology and at the same time being able to have land that was all their own.
Much of this investment came from already industrialized countries like Germany, Great Britain, and France whose business owners looked for new investment opportunities in the United States. These investors put money into the work of mechanics and engineers with the expertise to develop new, more efficient ways of mass-producing goods. Machines benefited the United States by allowing business owners to specialize in the production of goods and manufacture them in large quantities to distribute throughout the nation or export. As a result, the cost of mass-produced goods went down as their quantity went up causing industrial profits to rise. With the creation of transcontinental railroads and telephones, marketing nationally was available to distribute these goods.
Jack Heagy Period 4 The Problems and Solutions of the Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was a time of great leaps and bounds for the newly industrialized world, but these newfound advances came with their fair share of problems. During this time there was no way for a government to satisfy the middle and working classes simultaneously. What was beneficial for one group was harmful for the other, and vise versa. There was a constant figurative tug-of-war between the money seeking middle class and the right seeking working class. This tug of war would inevitably lead to problems.