When considering the many changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution, the working conditions of those working in newly industrialized industries are always in focus. The new paradigm of the factory system didn't simply change the way people worked, it changed their very sense of identity. It gave them a class consciousness that would later help spur the rise of both democracy and communism. Leaving aside for the moment, however, the future social consequences of this newfound class consciousness, and looking at the revolution exclusively from the perspective of an industrial economy. worker, it is easy to question the benefits of this revolution. Working conditions were often so grueling and full of real dangers in the early decades of industrialization that it is justified to question whether industrialization was actually beneficial – at least for the first generations of workers who experienced it (Misa, 2011, p. 90). . Perhaps it would have been better if the agricultural revolution had never given way to the industrial revolution. In fact, the working conditions of industrial workers in Europe were such that some slaves in the southern United States appeared to be better off. Comparing the daily lives of industrial workers and slaves is actually quite fascinating. Looking at two documents from that era Plantation Management, a set of rules for directing supervisors written by a wealthy plantation owner, and Factory Rules, an early type of employee manual, we can see many similarities in time and management of industrial workers. and slaves. Both had to stick to a rigorous schedule. Getting up early in the morning and working until late at night (Berlin Factory Rules 1844). Both worked in groups under the direction of the charter and freedom from the control of monarchies. Furthermore, while the lives of most workers may have been full of hardship, the Industrial Revolution created a middle class that would continue to grow as advances in manufacturing continued to accumulate. Which illustrates perhaps the most crucial difference between a slave and a worker: hope for the future. Industrial workers could hope to improve their lives and the lives of their children through their labor, but a slave had no way to improve his lot. Slavery and industrial workers have similarities because of the need for hierarchy when managing large groups of people. Living with that hierarchy is part of the price that must be paid to obtain the benefits of industrialization. However, in the long term, the compromise has proven to give more freedom than ever to people at all levels of society.