Working Conditions During The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period of growth, development, and urbanization for the economy of Western Civilization. However, it was achieved at the cost of the health and happiness of the workers. Although it led to inventions and developments that may have been crucial to the current condition of our economy today, the horrid consequences for those of the time period (i.e. poverty, child labor, and dangerous working conditions) ultimately outweigh the benefits that were procured. The urbanization and low wages of the Industrial Revolution led to a life of poverty and poor living for nearly all but the upper class. The capitalized economy depended on a surplus of labor in order to keep wages down. This led to unemployment—a nonexistent …show more content…
Children received less than half of the wages of women which were less than half of that of men (Backman, p.652-3). These children began working “as young as seven” (Backman, p.647). They worked under poor conditions; the work weeks of children were longer than what is considered to be a full-time job today. According to an interview with a former child laborer, Matthew Crabtree, children were beaten constantly throughout the day if they could not keep up with the demand (Mr. Matthew Crabtree, called in; and Examined). Since these children were not fully developed physically, the long days took a toll on their bodies leaving them “stunted, crippled, deformed, [and] useless” later on in life (The Benefit of the Factory Legislation). Their futures were ruined; any hope for a true childhood was lost. The inhumane development of child labor directly reflects the negative aspects of the Industrial …show more content…
Since all members of society needed a job so desperately and unemployment was now a common part of life, workers “lived more or less at the mercy of their employers” (Backman, p.648). One man who visited a factory described the working conditions as “a continuity of toil, in a standing posture, in a poisonous atmosphere, during 13 hours, with 15 minutes of rest” (The Benefit of the Factory Legislation). Some may argue that the inventions of certain machines such as the sewing machine, as shown the in the “IR Images” source, made work easier for employees than ever before because they simply became “mere overlookers of machines” (Andrew Ure). However, “the increased speed given to machinery…doubled the labor [required from workers]” (A Cotton Manufacturer on Hours of Labor). This in turn increased the length of work days and left all workers too exhausted to have any type of social