Effects of the Industrial Revolution on society
Factories drew people into crowded towns. Production soared and goods got cheaper, but workers, including women and children, faced long hours and low wages until trade unions pushed for reform.
Two sides of the Industrial Revolution
Life in the factory towns
- Urbanisation: people moved from villages to towns near the factories, creating an urban society.
- Factory halls were dark, damp, dirty and noisy, with little fresh air.
- Workers lived in crowded homes with poor hygiene and health.
- Owners cared mainly about profit, so workers often toiled 12 to 14 hours a day on low wages.
- Women and children were paid even less than men.
- Machines replaced hand work, so making goods at home, the domestic system, died out.
Child labour
- In coal mines, coal was dragged in baskets along narrow, low tunnels and hauled up a shaft. Children were preferred because they were small and could move through the tunnels.
- They were also paid much less than adults, so factory owners hired them too.
- Mines were so dangerous that people said only those with a 'death wish' worked there.
- Children lost their childhood, their health and any chance to study.
New classes and reform
- Capitalists: a new wealthy group that owned factories and machines.
- They built up banking to move capital to where it was needed. In the early 1700s, goldsmiths, merchants and manufacturers opened the first private banks.
- Industrial workers owned nothing but their labour.
- Workers slowly realised their strength and formed trade unions, groups that bargain together for better pay and conditions.
- Pressure from the unions led to laws that improved working and living conditions.
- The search for raw materials and markets pushed industrial nations into a race for colonies.
Activity: child labour around you
Look around your family, neighbourhood, shops and market with open eyes.
- 1Notice any child under 14 working instead of studying, for example at a tea stall, a workshop or as household help.
- 2Note what work the child does, for how long, and why, such as family poverty or no school nearby.
- 3Remember the law: every child aged 6 to 14 has a right to free and compulsory education. Employing children below 14 is banned, though helping in a family business after school is allowed.
- 4Think of ways to help: tell the family about free schools and midday meals, or help the child learn to read.
- 5If a child is in danger or forced to work, tell a trusted adult or call the child helpline 1098.
- 6Write down what you saw and one step you will take.
India's Right to Education Act gives every child aged 6 to 14 free schooling. The law also bans employing children under 14 in most work. Trade unions in India still bargain for fair wages and working hours.
1 marks: “How many hours a day did workers often work in early factories?” 12 to 14 hours.
2 marks: “Give two reasons why mine and mill owners liked to hire children.” (1) Their small size let them move through narrow mine tunnels. (2) They were paid much lower wages than adults.
3 marks: “The Industrial Revolution brought both gains and suffering. Give three points to support this statement.” Advantages: more production, cheaper goods, lower food prices, better transport and banking. Disadvantages: crowded towns with poor housing, and 12 to 14 hour days on low wages. Child labour spread, home industries ended and the gap between rich and poor grew.
Factory life was LLCD: Long hours, Low wages, Child labour, Dirty towns. The cure: unions plus laws.