What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? 19th Century Widnes *

What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? So far we have largely focused on the economic character of the Industrial Revolution. We have examined how technological innovation and economic reorganisation transformed Britain into an industrial capitalist economy. Next we are going to consider the social, cultural and political consequences of this economic transformation. ‘Social relations are closely bound up with productive forces. In acquiring new productive forces men change their mode of production; and in changing their mode of production, in changing the way of earning their living, they change all their social relations. The hand-mill gives you society with the feudal lord; the steam-mill, society with the industrial capitalist.’ Karl Marx, The Poverty of Philosophy 1847 *

What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? By ‘social’ consequences we mean the way in which peoples’ lives were changed in a material, externally observable way e.g. the rise of social classes or living and working conditions. ‘Cultural’ consequences refer to the intellectual and spiritual way in which peoples’ internal lives were transformed e.g. how people viewed the world and what they expected from it. ‘Political’ consequences are concerned with how traditional pre-industrial systems of power and governance were challenged by new types of people with new ways of thinking about how the country should be run e.g. why should aristocrats decide everything just because they own lots of land? *

What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? We can identify three interrelated social transformations brought about by the Industrial Revolution: Urbanisation. The change in where people lived. People went from being village dwellers to being town dwellers. Towns grew rapidly with significant social consequences. New social classes. The change in who people were. The rise in the new entrepreneurial middle class and urban working class. New ways of working. The change in the mode and method of production resulting in new ways of earning a living. *

What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation Urbanisation. The change in where people lived. People went from being village dwellers to being town dwellers. Towns grew rapidly with significant social consequences. *

What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation During this time the population of London went up from just over 1 million in 1801, to 6.5 million in 1901. (thousands) People Which of these towns grew the most in the 19th century? Which town grew the most in the first half of that century?

Why did the population grow so quickly? What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation Why did the population grow so quickly? The birth rate rose and the death rate fell. In other words, more babies were being born and fewer people died so early. Improved, more efficient farming methods resulted in better quality food being produced, and more of it. Nutrition therefore improved for most people from the unborn child upwards. This helped reduce slightly the infant death rate and also improved the fertility of couples. Growth of industry meant there were many new jobs and steady wages. This resulted in couples being able to get married and start having children at an earlier age. *

What caused the population migration? What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation What caused the population migration? Generally speaking, between 1750 and 1900 the rural population increased only marginally, whereas the number living in towns grew by about 1000%.

What happened to cottage industry? What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation What caused the population migration? What happened to cottage industry?

What happened to cottage industry? What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation What caused the population migration? What happened to cottage industry? Number of power looms in use Weekly wages of home weavers

Find one advantage and one disadvantage of a bigger population. What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation A bigger population provided the larger labour force that the Factory System needed. It can also be argued, however, that more jobs enabled families to expand more quickly. The increased numbers meant that more food was needed and this caused the existing farming improvements to accelerate. Many more houses were needed, and most people living in towns had to suffer overcrowding in quickly, poorly- built houses. Find one advantage and one disadvantage of a bigger population.

Why were housing conditions so poor? What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation Why were housing conditions so poor? As new factories were set up, so houses, shops and inns had to be built for the workers who flocked to the towns hoping to find jobs. Thousands of new houses were built in a very short time, without any rules on planning or quality. A contemporary writer explained why conditions were bad. ‘These towns have been built by small speculators with no interest for anything except immediate profit. A carpenter and a brick-layer club together to buy a patch of ground, and cover it with what they call houses.’

Why were housing conditions so poor? What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation Why were housing conditions so poor?

What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation Houses were crammed together. Many had no foundations, were damp and lacked ventilation. Very few had any form of sanitation (toilets). Sometimes there was a privy (primitive toilet) shared between several houses. *

What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation The shortage of housing often meant that one house accommodated several families, each having one room: ‘On the second floor lived a widow. In her room lived her grown-up son, two daughters, and two or three children of one of these daughters. Above on the third floor lived a market porter, his wife and four children.’ Charles Booth, 1889. Most of these slum dwellings contained little in the way of furniture. Many had just a table, a few chairs and a bed. Some did not even have that. A bed would be shared by several family members, and if some did shift work the bed could be used night and day.

What were the consequences of bad, dense housing? What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation What were the consequences of bad, dense housing? Needless to say, the major effect of such poor, overcrowded and dirty housing was poor health. The awful living conditions were an ideal environment for diseases to spread.

What were the consequences of bad, dense housing? What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation What were the consequences of bad, dense housing? TB (tuberculosis), diphtheria, measles, cholera and influenza (flu) were just a few of the diseases which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Together with dangerous working conditions, long hours, poor diet and pollution, this resulted in an average life expectancy for the working class in Manchester of just 17 years.

What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution What were the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution? - Urbanisation Activity - Watch the video below and answer the questions on the worksheet *