The Industrial Revolution:

The Factory SystemUrbanizationProletariatUnionsFactory ConditonsImprovements

The Factory SystemFactory System: society that is

organized by factories to meet the demands of the textile and manufacturing industries’ products for consumers.

Leads to urbanization.

Proletariats: unskilled laborersThe “Working Class”

Factory system = poor working conditions

The first unions.

“Solidarity Forever, the Union Song!”

Working Conditions in

Factories

Scavengers

Food in the Factory

Factory Accidents

Mary RichardsDeformitiesVideo

Sir Robert Owen A factory owner concerned

about the well being of his employees.

“Healthy, happy employees makes higher production.”

Owen wanted to make a school for employee children and a store for his workers.

He wanted to regulate the communities around his factory.

Owen believed in morals

Robert Owen, 1771-1858

Owen’s factory at New Lanark

Improved Working Conditions Owen publicly said that the current working

conditions in factories exploited women and children.

As a result, governments began to request change in the factories, particularly with wages and hours worked among children and women (Sadler Commission—1832)

Result: Factory Act Over the years, more improvements to the legislation would be added.

Factory Act 1819: Limited the hours worked by children to a maximum of 12 per day.

Factory Act 1833: Children under 9 banned from working in the textiles industry and 10-13 year olds limited to a 48 hour week.

Factory Act 1844: Maximum of 12 hours work per day for Women.

Factory Act 1847: Maximum of 10 hours work per day for Women and children.

Factory Act 1850: Increased hours worked by Women and children to 10 and a half hours a day, but not allowed to work before 6am or after 6pm.

Factory Act 1874: No worker allowed to work more than 56.5 hours per week

Owen’s Utopia “a perfect world” “The greatest happiness for the greatest

number of people”utilitarianism

Alexander “Boss” Gibson’s Home in Marysville