Hardships of Early Industrial Life

• Urbanization:

Movement of people to cities

• Problems: – Pollution, noise of

steam engines,– Smelly Rivers

(dye products were dumped in)

– Crowded & poor housing conditions

–Vast divisions between rich and poor

City Life- Poor

neighborhoods were dark, no running water, no sewage or sanitation, wastes and garbage rotted in the streets

- Cholera & other diseases spread rapidly

Factory System

• Discipline: 12-16 hour work days, no safety devices on machines, coal dust polluted air and lungs of miners, textile workers breathed air full of lint

• Women Workers: Paid less than men, most of their day was spent away from their families

Factory SystemChild Labor

– Children were used because they worked quickly and were small

– Worked 12-16 hour days– Many orphans were used– Many parents agreed that their children should work to

help support the familyLabor Force Issues

- Varied experiences- No job security- Changing role or women – working in factories,

domestic servants and still had their own families to take care of

- Disease in coal mines and factories

                  

     

Children who worked long hours in the textile mills became very tired and found it difficult to maintain the speed required by the overlookers.

Children were usually hit with a strap to make them work faster.

In some factories children were dipped head first into the water cistern if they became drowsy.

Children were also punished for arriving late for work and for talking to the other children.

Apprentices who ran away from the factory were in danger of being sent to prison. Children who were considered potential runaways were burned with irons.

The Working Class

•Protests

•Machines & Factories were destroyed by Luddites

•Protestors were punished harshly (imprisoned or sent to Australia)

•Religion

•Methodism – many found comfort in faith

•Message of salvation spread throughout the slums

•Self-confidence and hope (less anger)

The New Middle Class• “Rags to Riches” stories of merchants, inventors & artists

•Careers were open to talent (businessmen, traders, etc)

•Value in hard work

•Measured respect by money

•Pride & self confidence

• Lived in nice homes, ate large meals

• Women became “ladies” – took up embroidery or piano playing

• Hired servants

• Looked down on the working class

Social Darwinism• Theory of Natural

Selection – competition to survive – “survival of the fittest”

• Social Darwinism – applying survival of the fittest to war and economic competition– Justified rich vs poor– Justified global

expansion– Promoted racism