Economic conditions were terrible before capitalism.  The pictures from the Industrial Revolution may not look great now, but what were their options?  They chose those working conditions because it was much better than the alternative.  The social system was extremely rigid prior to capitalism.  Capitalism is a system of mass production.  The population exploded because enough could be produced to support more people.

The conditions of the worker over a century ago are not desirable by today’s standards.  The workers in those factories were not compelled to work in those conditions.  They were not compelled to work for such wages or long hours.  Yet still, it was preferable to what was available previously.  The factory owner would hire workers ready to trade their labor for the wages they could offer.

It’s completely absurd to say these factories took women from the house and kids from play.  The women who worked in these conditions had nothing to cook to feed their families.  The kids were not playing in a meadow.  As bad as conditions look today, these factories gave women the funds to buy food and saved the kids from starvation.  The factory was a refuge for them.  Capitalism saved the lives of many.

New machines don’t create unemployment.  They make it so less labor is needed to provide the goods that were previously provided.  Those who formerly worked there are now available to produce other products that will increase our standard of living.  This is creative destruction.  Joseph Schumpeter called this the heart of capitalism.  Progress can’t happen if this doesn’t happen.  When this stops, civilization stops.

The factories and sweatshops didn’t produce for the rich.  They mass produced goods for the masses.  The optics may not look good at this time.  The wages and working hours may not seem desirable.  They were to the people who chose this.  They wouldn’t have chosen them if they didn’t seem desirable.  People are no longer on the verge of starvation because of them.  It’s because of these early conditions we have attained the standard of living we have today.

Reference

Ludwig von Mises; Human Action