Warmup 3/27 How did your town (from the activity) change during the industrial revolution? Do you think the change was good? How do you think the lives of your residents changed?

Logistics Quiz on Friday (end of period) Test next week Geo quiz next week (75% needed for 5/5)

Notes: The Industrial Revolution Life today is easier for most than it was in 1750 However, the change from pre-industrial to industrial was not an easy one For more than a century, conditions for workers grew worse and worse

Notes: During the Revolution The big change was in how people made a living. Most people no longer were self-employed farmers. Most had a job, where they did a simple task for someone else’s profit.

Notes: Economic Situation From 1760-1840, there was no protection for workers. Soaring unemployment meant there was always someone willing to do a job, no matter how dangerous and low paid.

Notes: Safety There were no safety regulations in 1800 If you were injured, you would be unemployed If you died, your family would not be compensated Workplace deaths were VERY common

Notes: Wages and Hours Wages extremely low Many workers made less than 5 shillings a week, the equivalent of about $12 in 2018 USD. Workers worked 12-15 hours a day, 6 days a week (80 hour weeks) No holidays, no sick leave, no vacations

Notes: Living Conditions As wages plunged, living conditions grew more desperate. Many lived in perpetual filth The sky was choked in coal dust Life expectancy for the poor in Britain dropped to 25 years The poorest had to rely on poorhouses, which were designed to be terrible.

Notes: Children By 1800, most industrial workers were younger than 14. Workplace accidents were even more common among children than adults Many families had no choice but to send children to work.

Notes: Rule of Law In 1799, the British government made it illegal to form unions In 1823, they made it a criminal offense to refuse an order from your boss Those who could not pay debts went to prison

Notes: Unions Workers started to form unions to fight for better conditions. Governments of Western countries almost always sided with owners Union strikes were regularly put down with bullets However, some bosses were forced to settle and conditions started to improve

Notes: Reform Eventually, small reforms began to pass parliament. The 1833 Factory Act put restrictions on Child Labor Child Labor was not actually abolished until 1901 (1938 in USA) Working conditions for adults stayed unregulated until the 1870s

Discussion Talk with your neighbors: What should the government have done to deal with these problems? Should governments be allowed to interfere with businesses?