The Causes And Effects Of Workers In The Industrial Revolution

“People were forced to work in harsh, dangerous conditions in order to be able to provide for their families” (Document 8). Although most people were grateful to have a job, the conditions that they were forced to work for in order to provide for their families were unfair to them, and their families. Just because they obtained a job one day, doesn’t mean they would have it the next day, for example, if an employee was sick, or injured and had to miss a day of work the employee wasn’t guaranteed to continually have the job after they finally recovered. “I am at work in a spinning room tending four sides of warp which is one girl’s work” (Document 1) working conditions such as these are very harsh for the employees, not only do they have to keep up with the work of four people. Not only do the employees have to keep up with the sea of work, they also have to attempt not to get injured with the very harsh conditions lots of employees did in fact end up with serious injuries. “5 in the morning till 9 at night…” (Document 7) Those were the harsh working hours according to twenty-three year old Elizabeth Bentley. Long hours such as those were very common for factory workers, which made life hard for employees. Not only was harsh working conditions bad, but also the worst consequence that came about through the Industrial Revolution was child

The Industrial Revolution was a predominantly negative period in history, greatly affecting the lives of the poor working-class. Starting in 1750, rapid urbanization occurred, resulting in the higher and middle-class benefiting; but only because they were rich before it began. The working-class, however, became even more unfortunate as the era went on and were forced to become factory workers or miners. These men, women and children all faced harsh environmental factors, including the new technology of advanced machines and a shift in their family lifestyle.

The working conditions of the average laborer during the industrial revolution were oftentimes harsh and dangerous as seen in documents in 1,2,3 and 5. According to the Sadler Committee of 1832, men were forced to work excessively long hours and were whipped to stay awake. (Doc. 1) Additionally, the Sadler Committee revealed that many workers have suffered from infections, disease and muscle problems. (Doc. 2) This shows that industrial factory owners oftentimes exploited their laborers for profit. Andrew Ure’s The Philosophy of Manufactures reveals that children in the factory

The workers of the Industrial Revolution endured the worst of the Industrial Revolution and received the least care and appreciation, not only was there a large chance of being crushed by the machine you worked on for 16 hours a day, dirty and unforgiving work spaces led to both the destruction of a worker's body physically and internally. For example, in a heartbreaking testimony by factory worker Joseph Hebergam, not only severely damaged his lungs and bones from overwork, lack of nutrition, and dust in factories, but also witnessed kids wounded and even crushed by factory machines (including his own brother) because of uncovered machinery. In addition to Joseph Hebergrams testimony, William Cooper testified against the strenuous working hours in factories, Joseph claimed they worked 16 hours a day (that is two thirds of an ENTIRE day) with one 45 minute break, if workers were to slow down in pace they were whipped. Lastly, still referring from 28 year old (who worked from age 10) William Cooper's testimony, mentioned that he never learned to write and receive proper education due to long working hours which occupied most of his life. In any point of view, there is no justification for the way workers of the Industrial Revolution were treated, 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

In the means of health affected by the Industrial Revolution the negatives outweighed the positives. In document 4, Excerpt from the testimony of Joseph Hebergam to the Sadler Committee, is about a man who tells his story of working in a dangerous job in a factory. His health was impacted vigorously for the worse of things. From being overworked day after day his lungs were damaged so badly he was told he would die within a year. His leg muscles did not function right because of being overworked. Hebergam’s legs could not even support the weight of himself. The reason why he would die within a year was because of the dusts in the factory and having an insufficient diet. Others had died because of factory incidents. Hembergam’s brother died because he was cut by a machine and died of infection. The machines were not properly protected to the point of being the cause of many child deaths. Hembergam tells of a story from the last factory he worked at and how two siblings died because they both were severely injured. In document 1, an excerpt from William Cooper’s testimony before the Sadler Committee, tells about a man who had to work from seven in the morning to eleven at night with a very small amount of time to eat whatever he had brought that would spoil. The consequences of the small lunch period with what they had brought from their home where the health of the workers. Ice packs were not yet

Men, Women, and Children were dying in the industrial revolution. In 1880 through 1920 some of the biggest monopolies were operating in full force making steal, cars, clothes, and other essentials for their modern day life. All of the factories had some kind of steam engine whether it was to power a sewing machine or a conveyor belt. No matter what the job the machines where all dangerous the machines could just cut you or it could suck you in chew you up into a past and spit you out and stomp you into the ground. People where payed next to nothing, worked long hours and 6 days a week.

The Industrial revolution started in Britain around 1750 and by 1850 it will make Great Britain the wealthiest country in the world. The revolution also spread to other European countries and the New World. Both Germany and United States will surpass Britain in the next fifty years. What was the effect of The Industrial Revolution on the working class?

As well as living conditions, working conditions were also appalling during the industrial revolution. Factories were a new thing in the industrial revolution so there were no health and safety acts or child protection laws. The conditions in factories were awful; the workers had to work up to twelve hours starting very early in the morning. The work included managing dangerous machinery which was very repetitive and tiring and had to be done stood up. Some workers had to carry very heavy loads to fill or empty the machines. Many employees were injured or died in factories due to the hazardous machinery. Clothing could easily get caught up in the machinery and this could be fatal. The factory owners were responsible for feeding their workers. However, the food they gave them contained no nutrition in it and the workers were given miniscule amounts. This brought about diseases such as TB which was caused by under nourishment and little food. The fumes inside factories were also dangerous; in cotton factories the air around the workers was filled with little bits of cotton which were breathed in by the workers. These clogged up the trachea, bronchioles and the lungs and caused asthma and chest infections which could be fatal due to the lack of medical knowledge. The death rates in factories were very high but it was not as bad as the public health during this era. It contributed towards the dreadful public health as the factory owners paid the worker low wages

“By the 1800s, people could earn higher wages in factories than on farms.” (Industrialization; Case study:Manchester, 723) Although these higher wages made in factories pushed the industrial revolution forward, by being able to afford resources such as coal, factory life damaged its workers and the community by created border between classes. For example, working conditions. Working conditions during this time were extremely poor, and on average, a worker would spend 14 hours a day in factories. Factories were unsanitary, unsafe and generally not enjoyable. “Factories were seldom well lit or clean. Machines injured workers. A boiler might explode or a drive belt might catch an arm. And there was no government program to provide aid in case of injury.” (Industrialization; Case

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.

The Industrial Revolution resulted in changes to living and working conditions. Rather than the village lifestyle that supported families working in small groups to oversee local production, there was a shift in population from rural landscapes to vast cities. This resulted in work in factory settings. Fredreich Engels describes how this ‘caused the isolation of the individual’ in his book The Condition of the Working Class in England . The working class were especially sacrificed, being subject to overcrowding, and inappropriate conditions. Engels describes the unhygienic living and working conditions including ‘rough, dirty’ unpaved streets that lacked sewers and gutters. This contributed to the spread of disease. Factories were made for the machine, and the work was autonomous with workers being assigned one part of a production

Child labour during this period was a serious problem-children as young as 4 were expected to work in factories in dangerous conditions with low pay. Working conditions were not only problematic for children, but also for adults, illustrated by Engels, who argues that the ‘industrial epoch’ had created ‘filth, ruin and uninhabitableness, the defiance of all considerations of cleanliness, ventilation, and health’ highlighting the unsanitary and unsafe surroundings. However, the government attempted to solve this problem with the Factory Acts of 1833. Housing also became a problem as many poor people lived in tiny houses, with extremely bad sanitation, which in turn led to tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid and lung disease. However, while this is true, in the context of the time, the workers and middle class did benefit greatly from the Industrial Revolution in some way, as wages increased and ‘widespread poverty and constant threat of mass starvation…lessened, [and] overall health and material conditions of the populace clearly improved’. Therefore it is clear that Britain was different in social terms as a result of the Industrial Revolution to Europe due to urbanisation, more jobs, a population increase and better health care.

The workers of these factories men, women, and children were subjected to dangerous working conditions and unhealthy, crowded living conditions. The workers were not the only to suffer the effects of the Industrial Revolution, before industrialization most products were made by trained craftsmen, many of whom resided in rural areas. Factory production economically devastated the people of these areas, this would lead to a large movement of people from the country to the city in search of factory jobs, adding to the crowded conditions. Even then, employment was not guaranteed. And of the workers in the factories, there was no control of wages and there was dangerous lowering of wages as well as the long (sometimes up to 14-16 hours) working shifts without significant breaks. These conditions were the cause of factories’ focuses on maximizing profits as strong capitalistic enterprises. During the Industrial Revolution, political theorists of liberalism and socialism witnessed the potential negative effects of the capitalistic laissez-faire governments of England and other European nations at the time which highlighted these effects inside the

Though many people know that the working conditions were not particularly great, not all factories were hard on the workers. In an excerpt from a letter written by a young girl working in a textile factory in Lowell, Massachusetts it is stated that she has sufficient food and a good place to sleep. Mary Paul clearly states, to her father, that she enjoys where she works. “I think that the factory is the best place for me and if any girl wants employment, I advise them to come to Lowell.” (Paul, 1846) She says she likes where she works and she likes her boss. This just shows that not all conditions were bad. Some, as a matter of fact, were very good. These good conditions set a basis for other factory workers to compare their working conditions to. They eventually fought for the right to better conditions which then increased the standards