The Industrial Revolution
Mechanization, Urban Growth,
Proletarianization, Consumption
Mechanization

During the first half of
the 19th century, the
European manufacturing
process shifted from
small-scale, holistic
production by hand at
home to large-scale,
prescriptive production
by machine in a factory
setting.
At the Expense of Workers

The shift meant high quality
products at competitive prices,
but often at the expense of
workers. For example, the raw
wool and cotton that fed the
British textile mills came from:


Lands converted from farming to
sheep raising, leaving farm
workers without jobs
The southern plantations of the
United States, which were
dependent upon slave labour
The impact…
 Alienation

Rise in labour
movements and
demands for unions

Socialist ideas –
Marx and Engels
“Communist
Manifesto” - 1848
of the
workers?
Worksheet - Look up the different responses to Industrial Revolution
Urban Growth

Those who could no
longer make a living
on the land migrated
from the countryside
to the cities to seek
work in the factories.
1850: Population Living in Cities
100
75
50
25
0
England &
Wales
50
25
% Population
France &
Germany
Eastern
Europe
Population Growth

At the same time, the
population of Europe
continued to grow.
Millions
40
30
20
1831
1851
10
m
an
y
G
er
ce
Fr
an
En
gl
an
d
0
The Plight of the Cities

The sheer number of
human beings put pressure
on city resources:



Housing, water, sewers, food
supplies, and lighting were
completely inadequate.
Slums grew and disease, especially cholera,
ravaged the population.
Crime increased and became a way of life for
those who could make a living in no other way.
Conditions in the Countryside


The only successful farmers
were those with large
landholdings who could
afford agricultural
innovations.
Most peasants:
 Didn’t have enough land
to support themselves
 Were devastated by poor
harvests (e.g., the Irish
Potato Famine of 184547)
 Were forced to move to
the cities to find work in
the factories.
Florence Nightingale
Became an advocate and
educator for rural hygiene
and standards.
The Role of the Railroads

The railroads, built during
the 1830s and 1840s:



Enabled people to leave the
place of their birth and
migrate easily to the cities.
Allowed cheaper and more
rapid transport of raw
materials and finished
products.
Created an increased
demand for iron and steel
and a skilled labor force.
The Labour Force

No single description could
include all of these 19th century
workers:









Factory workers
Urban artisans
Domestic system craftsmen
Household servants
Miners
Countryside peddlers
Farm workers
Railroad workers
Variations in duties, income, and working
conditions made it difficult for them to unite.
The Condition of Labour


All working people, however,
faced possible unemployment,
with little or no provision for
security.
In addition, they were subject
to various kinds of discipline:





The closing of factory gates to
late workers
Fines for tardiness
Dismissal for drunkenness
Public censure for poor quality
workmanship
Beatings for non-submissiveness
Prolitarianization

During the century,
factory workers
underwent a process of
proletarianization (i.e.,
they lost control of the
means of production).


Factory owners provided the financial capital to
construct the factory, to purchase the machinery,
and to secure the raw materials.
The factory workers merely exchanged their labor
for wages.
Family Structures Changed

With the decline of the domestic
system and the rise of the factory
system, family life changed.
 At first, the entire family,
including the children, worked
in the factory, just as they had
at home.
 Later, family life became
fragmented (the father worked
in the factory, the mother
handled domestic chores, the
children went to school).
Family as a Unit of Consumption
 In
short, the European
family changed from
being a unit of
production and
consumption to being a
unit of consumption
alone.
Gender-Determined Roles

That transformation
prepared the way for
gender-determined roles.


Women came to be
associated with domestic
duties, such as housekeeping,
food preparation, child rearing
and nurturing, and household
management.
The man came to be
associated almost exclusively
with breadwinning.
Political Changes
 The introduction of liberalism in the 18th century
meant a new age in British politics, which
continued through the Industrial Revolution
 In Britain, Gladstone (Liberal) and Disraeli
(Conservative) were two of the most influential
political leaders of the late Industrial Revolution
 Both advocated reform of social structure; as a
result, some of the more productive
governments came to power
Liberalism
Emphasized
rationalism,
importance of individual
happiness (individualism)
Role of state is to protect
the freedom and rights of
the individual
Believed that human
rights would be lost if
government intervened
Generally, reflected views
of middle class
Conservatism
Believed
in value of
traditional life
More government
necessary to control
society and preserve
general order
Generally had a less
optimistic view of human
nature than liberals
Reflected views of landed
upper class
Laissez Faire:
No Government Intervention
Held a very pessimistic view of the possibilities
for improvement in the living standards of the
poor
Laissez faire would optimize economic growth
(also known as free market)
Utilitarianism: Government
Intervention and Regulation
 Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) agree with
Adam Smith’s argument that it was best to
free individuals to pursue their own selfinterest
Social Legislation
New Poor Law drafted in 1834, which was based on the
pleasure / pain calculation called the “less eligibility
principle.”
 In order to receive poor relief, an individual had to enter
a workhouse and in order to discourage people from
going on relief, conditions in the workhouse were
designed to be worse than the conditions outside.
 Protesters saw workhouse as prisons and named them
“Bastilles”
 Remained until 1909
 About 5 percent of the population was dependent on the
New Poor Law

 The Factory Act of 1833 – prohibited the
employment of children under nine and placed
limits on working hours of those between the
ages of 9 and 18

Factory Act of 1847 – limited children to 10 hour
day. This limit became the standard working day
for adults in textile mills.
 The Mines Act of 1842 – prohibited the
employment of women and of children under 10
years of age, in underground mines.

With the conditions workers had to endure and
the outbreak of killer diseases, Edwin Chadwick
helped draft the Public Health Act of 1848, which
included a General Board of Health to overseas
conditions
 The social legislation redefine the government’s
role in social policy.
 It established new ways of investigating social
problems and created a body of professional civil
servants.