Industrial Revolution Study Notes

Unit 4: Social Changes During the Industrial Revolution

Key Towns in England (after London) during 1800:
- Manchester: 82,000
- Liverpool: 77,000
- Birmingham: 71,000
- Bristol: 61,000
- Leeds: 53,000
- Sheffield: 46,000
- Newcastle upon Tyne: 33,000
Source I: Largest towns were near coal mining areas which provided power for new machines.

Before the 18th century, British society consisted of two main classes:
- Nobles: Rich landowners.
- Working Class: Small farmers and laborers working the land.
Development of the Middle Class:
- Emerged in the 18th century with the rise of trade and industrialization, including wealthy merchants and factory owners.
Working Class: Emerged from factory and mine workers seeking employment.

Urbanisation: Movement of people from rural areas to towns and cities.
- Factories were strategically placed near coal and iron ore mining regions, primarily in northern England and Wales.
- Displaced individuals from agriculture (due to farm enclosures) sought work in the burgeoning factories.

New industrial towns were characterized by poor conditions:
- Cramped Housing: Factory owners built small homes for workers, stacked together in rows with little space.
- Sanitation Issues: Only one water pump per street; an open sewer often ran down the middle.
- Resulting unhealthy environment leading to rapid disease spread.
Source J: Illustrates the proximity of workers' housing to factories.

Shift from agriculture to factory work dramatically altered family dynamics:
- Factory workers endured long hours (often including women and children) for extremely low wages, leading to whole families needing to work to survive.
- Children received the lowest wages.
- Wealth accumulated among factory owners contrasted sharply with widespread worker poverty.

Workhouses existed for the very poor since the 1600s:
- In exchange for accommodation and food, individuals worked without pay.
- Conditions in workhouses were harsh; only the destitute sought entry.
- Factory owners sometimes employed orphaned children from workhouses.

Coal Mines: Extremely hazardous employment, often using children and women for their size to navigate and carry coal in tunnels.
- The Mines Act of 1842 prohibited the employment of children under ten in mines.
Factories (Mills): Thousands of children, some as young as five, were employed, often in dangerous conditions.
- Example of child workers: "The smallest children in factories were scavengers…they go under the machine while it is going…"
- Source L: Highlighted concerns expressed by Charles Aberdeen concerning child labor in a Manchester cotton factory in 1832.

Poor wages and job insecurity plagued workers. New machines increasingly replaced traditional jobs, causing frustration and unemployment.

Threshing Machines: Innovation that replaced agricultural workers, triggering protests known as the Swing Riots.
- Riots spread across southern England, targeting threshing machines as symbols of unemployment.
- Leaders, identified as 'Captain Swing', issued threats to farmers and machine owners to meet demands of workers.
- Over 650 rioters faced imprisonment, with many transported to Australia and executed.

A response to factory-induced job loss, particularly in the context of skilled crafts like weaving.
- Named after Ned Ludd, workers began damaging machinery in protest.

Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (1833): Workers across industries began organizing to demand better wages and conditions.
- Membership reached over half a million within a week of its formation.
- Government responded harshly, fearing the rise of worker solidarity, leading to union setbacks but eventually easing in the late 19th century.

British Colonization of Natal (1843): Sought to grow sugar cane using indentured labor due to labor shortages.
- Indentured workers were those who signed a labor contract in exchange for immigration and a wage.
Indentured Labor: These arrangements included specifics about work duration and earning rights after a five-year period.
- Key term: Indentured Labour – workers who agreed to work for a set duration in exchange for favorable conditions.

Housing:
- Provided free housing (varying from thatched huts to brick houses).
Food:
- Employers supplied staples; however, strikes were initiated over food quality issues (rice was often preferred). Workers were given garden plots to supplement diets.

Gold Discovery (1867): Transitioned South Africa from an agricultural to industrial society.
Global impacts transformed demographics with new urban centers, such as Johannesburg.

The passing of significant legislation: Impacted labor rights, voting rights, and immigration experiences (e.g., the Land Act of 1913 and the establishment of organizations advocating for rights).
Cultural Shift: The revolution not only altered economic structures but also had lasting social and cultural effects, evident in the changing roles of different demographics including women, rural to urban migration, and labor relations responding to industrial pressures.

Changes during the Industrial Revolution led to extensive social, economic, and cultural transformations. The rise of urban centers, shifts in labor, and the establishment of rights movements can be traced to this pivotal period in history.