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Hardships of Early Industrial Life

7.3

The Industrial Revolution created material benefits as well as social

problems.

Main Idea

The I.R. brought rapid urbanization- the movement of people to cities. The British market town of Manchester

1750s- 17,000 people 1780- 40,000 people 1801- 70,000 people

Visitors described it as a “cloud of coal vapor” Polluted, pounding noise of the steam

engines, and a filthy stench of its river

The New Industrial City

There was a divide between the wealthy and poor. Wealthy and middle

class lived in pleasant neighborhoods.

Poor lived in the slums They packed into tiny tenements- multistory buildings divided into crowded apartments No running water, only

a community pump No sewage Diseases Spread

Rigid Schedules “While the engine runs, people

must work” Shifts lasted from 12 to 16 hours

Workers suffered accidents from machines with no safety devices.

Coal dust and lint destroyed lungs.

Injured workers lost their jobs.

The Factory System

Employers preferred to hire women over men.

Belief was that they could adapt to the machines quicker

Women could be paid less than men

Women were out of the house for 12 hours but the expectation for women to upkeep the household remained present.

Women Workers

Factories hired boys and girls Worked in textile mills because of their small and

nimble fingers. Also, moved quicker through small chambers in

the coals mines, pushing carts of coal Wages were needed Like parents, children were slaves to the machines Orphans Finally, by the 1830s, British lawmakers looked into the issue of child labor.

Child Labor

In rural villages, farm families established a sense of community.

In industrial cities, many felt lost. In time, factory and mine workers

developed their own sense of community.

As the I.R. begins, skilled laborers protested new machinery that was taking their jobs away.

Destroyed machinery, burned factories Protestors(Luddites) were met with

violence and death by soldiers.

The Working Class

New religious movement Mid 1700s- John Wesley founded the

Methodist Church Encouraged Christians to adopt sober and

moral ways. Tried to rekindle hope among the poor Set up Sunday schools

Studied the Bible and learned to read and write

Spread of Methodism

The I.R. introduced a new middle class, which came from several sources:

Merchants who invested factories Some “rags to riches”

Middle class families lived comfortable lives

Women took up “ladylike” activities Drawing, embroidery, or playing the

piano Ladies did not do housework or work

outside Had the determination to “get ahead” Thought of the poor as ignorant and lazy

that they could not “work their way up”

The New Middle Class

Since the 1800s, people debated whether the I.R. was a blessing or a curse.

The age brought upon terrible hardships. However, reformers pressed laws to improve

working conditions. Labor Unions- won the right to bargain with

employers for better wages, hours, and working conditions.

Eventually, working class men gained right to vote. Material Benefits:

Demand for mass produced goods grew New factories opened Wages for worker rose Railroad travel became affordable

Benefits and Problems

Industrialization spread around the world.

Often, it begins with suffering. In the end, it produces more material

benefits for more people.

The Spread of the Industrial Revolution