Industrialism Changes the World Or at least Britian

Changes to Life: Rise of Cities People began to realize they could earn more money working in factories than they could living on farms With this money people could afford more necessities in life – like coal to heat their house, better clothing Industrial Cities Rise Provided all the factors of production: capital (money), land, labor, and entrepreneurship By 1800, more people lived in cities than in the country Urbanization – city building because of the number of people moving into cities Steps to build an 1800s city: Find a good source of flowing water Build a factory near it Build a few more factories near it Invite people to work at the factories Have to feed and clothe those people so allow other shops to move in BAM! City! Major cities in England: London Leeds Manchester Birmingham Sheffield

Changes to Life: Living Conditions Cities grew rapidly so, No sanitation codes No building codes No development plans No support for people who were coming from the country, so No housing No education No police protection (think Jack the Ripper) Conditions in the cities: Garbage was piled on the edge of streets Many unpaved streets had no drains Whole families would live in one bedroom shelters that were dark with very little ventilation Sickness and epidemics were wide spread The average life span for someone in the city was about 17 years, in the country it was 38

Changes to Life: Working Conditions In order to increase production, factory owners would keep the machines running as many hours as possible Average worker spent 14 hours working 6 days a week Unskilled workers – because the job didn’t change, people had only had to follow directions that didn’t require any skill, creating a rise of unskilled workers Factories were dangerous Factories were seldom well-lit or clean Machines would break and cost workers arms, legs, or their lives NO gov’t programs to provide protection for workers Coal mines were the worst Frequent cave-ins, machine accidents Damp conditions Constant breathing in of coal dust – black lung Average life expectancy – 7 years Women and children were the cheapest source of labor and they also had the smallest hands

Class Tensions Grow The Middle Class The Working Class Factory owners, shippers, and merchants who controlled most of the new money generated by revolution Separation of the Middle Class Landowners looked down on business people because they were vulgar Upper middle class – gov’t employees, doctors, lawyers, and mangers of factories and mines Lower middle class – factory overseers, skilled workers The Working Class Laborers Saw little improvement in their situation Luddites - Directed their anger at the machines they thought were putting them out of work Attacked factories with the idea of destroying machines

Positive Effects of the Industrial Revolution Created jobs for workers (after being the reason they needed them) Greatly expanded the wealth of the nation Fostered technological progress and invention Increased production of goods and raised the standard of living (EVENTUALLY!) Long-Term effects: Workers win higher wages Shorter hours Better conditions World today would be significantly different without it

The Mills of Manchester Became the best example of an industrialized city Near water-power Available labor from the countryside Industrial giant Major problems: Unplanned growth – meaning unhealthy living conditions Wealthy would build massive mansions around the outskirts of the city that the laborers could see Children as young as 6 would work next to their parents Usually from 6am to 7 or 8 pm 30 min for lunch, 60 min for dinner Overseers would beat them for crying, not working fast enough, or falling asleep Had to put their fingers in machines to replace or repair thread, usually while the machine was still running Pollution of the environment British people today still hate Manchester because its an ugly city