Throughout the industrial revolution, the standard of living for the working class in Britain changed considerably. At the start, they gained jobs as factories were built. As jobs became available, more people flocked to these towns, leading to overpopulation and filthy living conditions. Although factories offered work for the middle class, hours were long, and conditions were dangerous. Reforms were then created as a means to improve the standard of living.
In the mid-1800s, there was a population boom which rose the English and Welsh population from six and a half million to over nine million (Hobsbawm 5). With this increase in population, there became a need to increase the production of textile goods. Hobsbawm argues that this could be the reason the industrial revolution first began in …show more content…
In 1750, there were only two towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants. By 1851, there were twenty-nine towns that consisted of over 50,000 inhabitants (Hobsbawm 64). Cities were extremely overpopulated as more workers migrated to find work. However, wages were not high enough to support families, causing starvation. The working class families lived in houses that were poorly constructed, consisting of one bedroom, and with no plumbing. At the time, feces was emptied into the streets or gutters. The feces was then transported from the gutter to the same river in which the citizens acquired their drinking water. According to Hobsbawn on page 64, these unsanitary conditions led to epidemics of cholera, and typhoid, particularly after 1830. Besides epidemics caused by contaminated water, air pollution and water pollution caused respiratory diseases. Much of the population perished from these unsanitary conditions. Although the industrial revolution at the beginning decreased the standard of living for the working class in many ways, this began to change as the revolution
In the mid-1800s, there was a population boom which rose the English and Welsh population from six and a half million to over nine million (Hobsbawm 5). With this increase in population, there became a need to increase the production of textile goods. Hobsbawm argues that this could be the reason the industrial revolution first began in …show more content…
In 1750, there were only two towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants. By 1851, there were twenty-nine towns that consisted of over 50,000 inhabitants (Hobsbawm 64). Cities were extremely overpopulated as more workers migrated to find work. However, wages were not high enough to support families, causing starvation. The working class families lived in houses that were poorly constructed, consisting of one bedroom, and with no plumbing. At the time, feces was emptied into the streets or gutters. The feces was then transported from the gutter to the same river in which the citizens acquired their drinking water. According to Hobsbawn on page 64, these unsanitary conditions led to epidemics of cholera, and typhoid, particularly after 1830. Besides epidemics caused by contaminated water, air pollution and water pollution caused respiratory diseases. Much of the population perished from these unsanitary conditions. Although the industrial revolution at the beginning decreased the standard of living for the working class in many ways, this began to change as the revolution