Factories and Slums in Victorian England

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As the old agriculture system declined it gave birth to a new era known as the Industrial Revolution. This change led to the growth of factories and production of textiles. Even though people could argue that factories and slums were not terrible, during the Victorian England period, both those places had harsh and unsanitary conditions because the people who lived in the slums had an uninhabitable environment and factories had cruel and harsh surroundings.
During the Victorian England period people were slowly changing their ways of life. People were slowly adjusting from agriculture to industry. Although it benefitted mostly the middle class and higher, it devastated the working class. In the eighteenth century, factory workers had unequal rights. Men and women were forced to work from twelve to fifteen hours every single day. With this schedule, the workers were unable to get fully rested for the next day and continued to decrease their health. According to James, of Primary Facts, said, “In cotton mills, dust from the yarn covered the workers and got in their throats. In order to make sure that the cotton was kept strong, factory owners kept their mills warm and damp. This meant that the workers often suffered with lung and chest infections.” Not only did it tire them out to the point of exhaustion, but it also increased their potential for infections. From his quote, it showed how the owners did not care for their employees’ health and can replace them in no time. Workers were expected to work quickly and delicately, but if they failed to do so some sort of consequence will happen to them. As time passed by, factories continued to prosper, the number of goods increased. This led to advancement of technology and made their ma...

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Mitchell, Sally. Daily Life in Victorian England. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press; 1996. 41-47, 56-57. Print.

Peacock Doug. “Lifestyle: Slum Housing” Cotton Times understanding the industrial revolution. Cotton Times. 8 December, 2007. Web. 21, May 2014. < www.cottontimes.co.uk/housingo.htm. >

Trevelyan, George. “The Transition from Agriculture to Industry” Victorian England. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. 104-106.108.112.Print.

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