Frederick Engels' Impact on the Conditions of Laborers Essay examples

The Industrial Revolution brought many changes to society in the nineteenth century. With the rise of factories following the Agricultural Revolution and Enclosure Movement, it allowed goods to be readily available to the public due to mass production from having a large and available workforce. This led to further economic growth within the urban areas. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of this economic growth, it was actually a negative thing for society. Industrialization’s negative effects were the lack of working conditions, child labor, and horrible living conditions.

Being an industrial worker in the late 19th-century in America was not a simple life. Even at the best times the pay was small and the time spent at work was long in dangerous conditions. Most of the money derived in America went to the actual workforce. Women and children suffered the most however, making up the majority of the workers and only receiving a small percentage of what a man could make. Different periods of economic crises tokk the nation by storm, also breaking down the amount of wages from industrial work and increasing the total population of the unemployed.

From the 1780s to the mid 19th century the Industrial Revolution was at full pace. The era is responsible for the innovative inventions that changed the world and we still rely on today along with the environmental consequences that followed. Factories were dangerous and many workers were discriminated, it is because of this that workplaces are safe and employees are treated and payed fairly.

Secondly, as the Industrial Revolution progressed the environmental conditions were degrading with it, and becoming more and more unsanitary. The Industrial Revolution caused factories to be built and those factories had no regulations on how to maintain the environment clean. Engels says, referring to those factories that, “All the filth, both liquid and solid discharged by these works finds its way into the River Irk.” Then Engels describe the river as a “narrow, coal-black, stinking river full of filth and rubbish.” The rivers were being contaminated by the byproduct created by many factories that were brought alongside with the Industrial Revolution. The factories also polluted the air and land with contaminants as explained by Engels

Most of the industry environment was really dangerous and labor pay was really low. The treatment with the labor was unfair. First of all, the technology back then wasn’t as steady, so how can the working environment be safe? Safety wasn’t a big issue in the 19th century. For example, Rockefeller maintains his oil prices low, so he couldn’t pay his workers a lot, otherwise he wouldn’t be as big how he was. These practices were unacceptable and the workers should have been given their rights but then men were only doing this to boom the American

The 19th century was a time of huge industrial growth. Industrial giants like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller used monopoly expansion practices called vertical and horizontal integration to take over the business world. Both of these practices involved taking control of supplies and other companies. This included buying family-run farms, businesses, and other traditional income sources, which meant many americans couldn’t support their families anymore. This caused unemployment, and then an increase in dangerous and underpaid factory jobs, which led to the inventions of processes like the Bessemer steel process or the assembly line, made to speed up production and increase revenue. Factories, sweatshops, and other labor jobs were flooded with men, women, and children, all trying to support their families. As the majority of americans worked night and day, moving paycheck to paycheck, the Carnegies and Rockefellers

In the 1800’s in England, things were changing due to the Industrial Revolution. Before the Industrial Revolution, everyone was making everything in their homes. Everyone had to make and grow their own food and necessities with their own labor so it was slow. During the Industrial Revolution, new machines were being created. This increased the speed at which farming was done. Factories were also being built. The factories and new machines helped with mass production. People also lost jobs on the farms which meant many people were moving to the cities, which caused the cities to grow and become overpopulated. One reason why the Industrial Revolution was a negative occurrence in the world was the living conditions. The cities were overpopulated becoming polluted very easily. Another reason why the Industrial Revolution was a negative occurrence was the working conditions the workers had. The last negative occurrence was the people's health especially the people who worked in the factories. The Industrial

Back in England, life was full of economic struggles. There were so many that were unemployed and

It can be argued that a drifting away from the old artisan putting out system was not helping the economy, and a push for increased industry was a economically healthy path to choose. However the horrible working conditions in the relatively new and supposedly “revolutionary” factories cannot be denied. Yes, the common people were making more money than they ever had with stable jobs and increased production of goods, but at what cost? The first industrial cities in England such as Manchester and Sheffield were transformed into dystopian, dirty slums where the polluting factories loomed overhead. This idea is translated in Document #3 which depicts such an urban slum. One might even classify the image as that of the Middle Ages much less an age marked by invention and progress. The working conditions of the industrial age were not only unsanitary but also extremely dangerous with little safety precautions. Such safety features and skilled training with machinery would cost manufacturers money and money was the only thing separating the boss from the disgruntled employee. Unsafe working environment can be seen in Document #2 depicting a coal mine worker. In most cases, it was the youngest of the workers who were

Fredrich Engles (1820-1895) was a German social scientist, journalist, and professional revolutionary. He was chiefly known for his close collaboration with Marx. He helped Marx with ideas on economics and with his writings. His communist beliefs took effect in the BNW in the concept that everyone is enslaved to the civilization and that there is complete equality in each caste.

Karl Marx’s theory of social class took unprecedented amount of relevance in America’s Gilded Age. Each social class in this era had a set of identities that were associated with each class. The wealthy elite prospered from what some may believe to think was the epitome of the Dark Ages. The wealthy elite capitalized on new technology and business’ which allowed them to have a sense of superiorness and caused to emerge very distinct social classes. The middle class has the best chance for class movement however it was unlikely to happen.

The industrialization period that took place during the 19th century brought forth a great deal of change for workers. Although these changes made for more efficient production, the workers also faced harsh work conditions, which were extremely dangerous as well as believed to be the cause of early deaths for some. These conditions included long work hours without breaks, exposure to pollution and new machinery, and the use of child labor. Fortunately, the critique of these harsh conditions led to improved conditions for workers and new laws protecting the worker rights.

In 19th century America there were many changes in industrialization and capitalism which impacted the working class. One such change was the rise of unskilled labor; before the industrial revolution most people if not employed in agriculture relied on skilled trade. Meaning people had to have training and skill in order to create merchandise of a higher quality. However, with the rise of industrialization large factories began to take over the production of goods. These big businesses also began to turn to unskilled labor due to the fact that it was easier than hiring skilled laborers. Factories employed unskilled laborers because they were cheap and easily replaceable. This allowed factories to significantly grow in size and dominate the market. Such domination of the market forced the majority of smaller business to close their doors due to the fact that the factories could produce a higher quantity of goods for a smaller price. This affected the working class because their options for employment quickly decreased to the extent that their only option was to work for these big businesses. Due to the fact that unskilled laborers were easily disposable, large factories began to take advantage of their employees. Big businesses would take advantage of their workers by forcing them to work in unsanitary, unhealthy, and even dangerous conditions for very little pay. The life of a working class citizen was a difficult one, and the lives of these workers are reflected in the

The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, is a political pamphlet summarizing Marx and Engels political theories on communism. Marx and Engels were German authors and revolutionaries with unique ideas for their time. Engels joined the Communist League in 1847, where he outlined twenty-two questions about communism in the “Draft of the Communist Confession of Faith”(Engels). These ideals were restructured and published four months later in his piece, “The Principles of Communism”. Marx saw value in

Manifesto deals with "Bourgeois and Proletarians", where he is asserting that bourgeois is constantly trying to maximize its profit by exploiting proletarians and their manual labour. Marx and Engels claim “The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggle”. At this point it is almost certain, why IR influenced Marx as much as he came up with idea of socialism and yet, of communism. Secondarily, the (FR) in France from 1789 to 1799 was another radical and political event in the worldwide history. Marx and Engels based their analysis of the FR, as a series of class struggle. Both concluded, that in society of material inequality it is impossible to reach an actual freedom, considering the slogans of IR “Liberty, Equality and Fraternality”, if the society is divided into exploiters and exploited, meaning Bourgeoisie and Proletariat. This observation was vital to Marx´s concept.