Section 3
Social impact of the Industrial Revolution
. The industrial revolution led massive migration
of people from farms to cities,
a.k.a rapid urbanization
. The growth of industry and rapid population growth dramatically
changed the location and distribution of 2 resourceslabor and people.
New social class emerge
.The industrial revolution created a new social class
- Middle class
- Working class
.
The industrial middle class
- Middle class families lived in well-furnished, spacious homes on paved
streets and had a ready supply of water. They wore fancy clothing and ate
well.
- Women of the middle class did not leave the home to work but instead
focused their energy on raising their children.
The Industrial working class
A lot of poor people struggled to survive in
-foul-smelling slums
-tiny rooms in tenements or multistory building divided into
apartments.
-no running water or sanitation
garbage was on the street
Sewage was dumped into rivers:
-created an overwhelming stench
-contaminated the water
-led to diseases such as cholera.
Life in the factories and Mines
Working Condition
- Working in a factory system different greatly from working on a
farm. In rural villages, people worked hard, but their work varied
according to the season.
The factory system imposed a harsh new way of life on workers:
* Working hour were long (12 to 16 hours per day),
* Allowed to take breaks only when given permissions
* Workers risk injuring themselves physically and their lives due
to unsafe work machines.
Child Labor
-Working condition in the miners were even worse than the factories.
- Factories and miners also hired many boys and girls. These children often
started working at age 5-8.
Worked in harsh conditions :
-darkness
- in the risks of explosions, flooding and tunnel
collapsing
- coal dust destroyed their lungs
- carry heavy loads of coals down the
ladders several times a day.
Child labor reform laws called ‘factory act’:
- passed in the early 1800s
- shorten a child’s workday
-remove children under the age of nine from cotton mills
- later laws demand shorter working hours for women and for
child workers to be educated.
The result of Industrialization
Industrialization brings both positive and negative
-Positive
.Improve working condition
.Created more job opportunities
- Negative
.Low pay
.Dismal living conditions