Social Effects of the Industrial Revolution

Lecture Goals

European Population Growth: From 140 million in 1750 to 266 million by 1850.
- Decline in death rates and warfare; improved food supply.
- Immigration due to job scarcity; example: Irish immigration to the US due to potato crop disease.
Urban Challenges:
- Rapid city population growth leading to poor sanitation, slums, and high crime rates.
- Spread of diseases like cholera.
- Reforms introduced: boards of health, sanitation improvements, sewage and water treatments, electricity, police, and fire departments.

New Middle and Working Classes:
- Wealthy elite (5% of population) controlled 30-40% of wealth by 1870.
- Industrial middle class emerged, including factory builders and those investing in markets.
Social Class Divide: Illustrated by the juxtaposition of wealthy elite parties and working-class struggles in shared housing.

Working Conditions:
- Long hours (12-16 hours/day), low wages, and unsafe working conditions.
- Child labor prevalent, making up two-thirds of the workforce in Britain's cotton industry by 1830.
- Factory Act of 1833 and Mines Act regulated child labor and working conditions.

Socialist Movements:
- Response to poor working conditions; advocacy for workers' rights.
- Utopian socialists like Robert Owen promoted cooperation between labor and owners.
- Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' "Communist Manifesto" influenced socialist theory.
- Formation of political parties and trade unions.

Labor Reforms:
- Factory Act of 1833 and Mines Act addressed labor conditions.
- Inspections of factories to ensure safety.

Educational Expansion:
- By the 1870s, primary education expanded to create skilled workers.
- Increased education due to expanding voting rights.
Leisure Activities:
- Growth in amusement parks, zoos, athletics like baseball and soccer.
- Sports served as distractions and new forms of entertainment during increased leisure time.