How Did the Industrial Revolution Change British Society? How Might This Be Assessed From A Marxist Perspective?
Power and wealth was accumulated in masses during the industrial revolution and the process was the beginning of what we know today as a modern capitalist society. This essay will focus on how society changed during the revolution not just economically but socially. The essay will demonstrate how the benefits from the industrial revolution were mostly reaped by the owners of capital whilst the common workers faired differently. These differences consisted of living conditions; urbanization, working conditions, child labour and the new wage labour system. Each area will be explored and analysed in terms of how they changed lives and …show more content…
Today more people live in the cities rather than rural areas and it is common practice for individuals to migrate into inner cities for work. The industrial revolution was a shift from agricultural work to industrial work, therefore causing an influx of individuals to move from rural areas to inner cities. The overall total population of Britain had increased during the agricultural revolution due to increased life expectancies, one of the reasons being more food available (plants biotechnology & agriculture). Despite this urbanisation could still be accounted for because the number of populations living in inner cities increased from 40 percent in 1821 to 54 percent in1851 (what price the poor pg 9). The image of a new independent start in the big city with better wages and job opportunities was alluring and catching to many individuals (what price the …show more content…
The Factory Act in 1833 ensured that children under the age of 13 were entitled to free education, it also introduced government factory inspectors to ensure actions were being taken to prevent harm to children. Some of these actions were less working hours, no working of a night and employed children had to be over the age of 9. (book fromphtotoact). The economy also adopted a laissez faire stance (industrial relations law), which means an economic system in which government has no control over. As an effect of this workers, skilled and unskilled, created trade unions. These unions were put in place to try stop wages declining, improve work conditions and put a stop to child labour. Trade unions were practiced through meetings, protests and strikes, skilled workers however usually had the upper hand as unskilled workers made up most of the population and there was always unskilled workers willing to work in order to survive. When trade unions started a sense of community and hope was once again present this however was not felt mutually with capital and property owners. Capital owners felt the dispute would cause loss to profits and bring attention away from the main aim of productivity and profit. Upper classes also saw these trade unions as a form of social unrest and the driving force for a revolution, an outbreak of moral panic caused actions to be taken (industrial
Power and wealth was accumulated in masses during the industrial revolution and the process was the beginning of what we know today as a modern capitalist society. This essay will focus on how society changed during the revolution not just economically but socially. The essay will demonstrate how the benefits from the industrial revolution were mostly reaped by the owners of capital whilst the common workers faired differently. These differences consisted of living conditions; urbanization, working conditions, child labour and the new wage labour system. Each area will be explored and analysed in terms of how they changed lives and …show more content…
Today more people live in the cities rather than rural areas and it is common practice for individuals to migrate into inner cities for work. The industrial revolution was a shift from agricultural work to industrial work, therefore causing an influx of individuals to move from rural areas to inner cities. The overall total population of Britain had increased during the agricultural revolution due to increased life expectancies, one of the reasons being more food available (plants biotechnology & agriculture). Despite this urbanisation could still be accounted for because the number of populations living in inner cities increased from 40 percent in 1821 to 54 percent in1851 (what price the poor pg 9). The image of a new independent start in the big city with better wages and job opportunities was alluring and catching to many individuals (what price the …show more content…
The Factory Act in 1833 ensured that children under the age of 13 were entitled to free education, it also introduced government factory inspectors to ensure actions were being taken to prevent harm to children. Some of these actions were less working hours, no working of a night and employed children had to be over the age of 9. (book fromphtotoact). The economy also adopted a laissez faire stance (industrial relations law), which means an economic system in which government has no control over. As an effect of this workers, skilled and unskilled, created trade unions. These unions were put in place to try stop wages declining, improve work conditions and put a stop to child labour. Trade unions were practiced through meetings, protests and strikes, skilled workers however usually had the upper hand as unskilled workers made up most of the population and there was always unskilled workers willing to work in order to survive. When trade unions started a sense of community and hope was once again present this however was not felt mutually with capital and property owners. Capital owners felt the dispute would cause loss to profits and bring attention away from the main aim of productivity and profit. Upper classes also saw these trade unions as a form of social unrest and the driving force for a revolution, an outbreak of moral panic caused actions to be taken (industrial