The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution While France had one Revolution, another was beginning in Britain and would soon transform all of the Western World…

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 of the workers? • Rise in labour movements and demands for unions • Socialist ideas – Marx and Engels “Communist Manifesto” - 1848 Worksheet – Look up the different responses to the Industrial Revolution

1850: Population Living in Cities 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.

Population Growth • At the same time, the population of Europe continued to grow.

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 1845-47) • 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

Proletarianization • 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 (late 19thth Century) • Both advocated reform of social structure; as a result, some of the more productive governments came to power

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 self-interest

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 oversee 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.

So how did the Industrial Revolution transform society? • Proletarianization of workers • Rural exodus and Urbanisation • Stress on urban resources • Families as consumers • Defined gender-roles • Rise of Socialism and Labour reform movements • New labour laws

This part is boring I know… but it’s necessary for the fun part afterwards  • Read Chapter 15 in the Richards text and take notes on both the causes and consequences of the Industrial Revolution. • IF and only if you don’t have your Richards text, use chapter 5 in Christopher – it isn’t as detailed and won’t work as well

The Industrial Revolution