Olivia Seeney
Labor Old and New
As the industrial revolution emerged in Britain many things changed, including labor and the effects that the labor had on men, women, children, and the society. Before the industrial revolution the days were long and the work was rough. However, small enjoyments such as days off, family togetherness in the workforce, and the rare ability to flex the hours to meet the needs of the employee, made the work bearable. But then the workforce became warped by the industrial revolution and many of the old ways that employees were used to, disappeared due to an increase in demand for merchandise and wealth. These changes also had varying effects on the people of and society living through the Industrial Revolution which
…show more content…
included, family movement into the city and away from the freedom of rural villages, massive amounts of poverty, a rise in crime rate, and resistance towards the Revolution from the Artisans(Wiesner). Preindustrial labor gave more power to the employees, while new labor aimed to benefit the employers of these establishments, taking away many of the small luxuries old laborers once had and effecting men, women, children in different ways. Preindustrial labor was classified as long, hard work, with little reward.
This is true for the Industrial laborers as well. Though, they are alike in this way old labor and new labor operated very differently. Firstly, old labor allowed employees small rewards and freedom to allow the workforce to be more suited to them. On the other hand, new laborers were forced to conform to the nearly impossible pace of machines that had been built to speed up production. Employees were unable to have anyone protect them during the industrial revolution, unlike those of the preindustrial workforce. Preindustrial were given liberties like excused tardiness, leisure day, holiday breaks, and have the ability in some cases to become something more than they once were. This is not the case for industrial workers. Although, they work the same amount of time, if not more, and get paid the same, industrial workers do not have the same opportunities as those before them. Industrial workers and the rules that applied to them were “strictly observed”. Even if a worker would only “arrive two minutes late they shall lose half an hour’s wages” (Wiesner). Many rules much like this were implemented during this time in order to keep maximum profit and production flowing within the …show more content…
workplace. During the time before the industrial revolution the whole family went, more or less together, to work.
As stated in Testimony of an Agricultural Worker’s Wife and Former Factory Worker Mrs. Britton says, “My husband is an agricultural laborer… I have worked in the fields… my eldest boy gets little to do” (Wiesner). This shows how the family unit worked together in old labor. But, after the Industrial revolution families were separated to do the work more fitted to each individual. The fathers would work in factories, the mothers would work at home, and the children would work in mills and mines. For instance, from the Report of the Sadler Committee, a girl began work at the clothing mill when she was 10 years old, it was a mile and a half away, and her father woke her for work when he began work at the shoe shop (Wiesner). The child had to work long hours in order to help support her family. Whether it was preindustrial or industrial does not matter when it comes to help in supporting the family because everyone worked during both time
periods. The new labor brought on by the industrial revolution effected men, women, children, and society all differently. Bad health was an effect that was brought onto male and female workers, both young and old. As explained in Working Conditions of a female Textile Worker in Germany, many women grew ill from dust and particles settling in their lungs at the mills (Wiesner). These women would also have to shout in order to communicate, damaging their voices. Children would often be hurt in the mines or by machines. Men would drown their sorrows and woes with alcohol after a hard day. Another effect of the industrial revolution was poverty. Many people had to move into the city in order to find the work that was not available. These rises in poverty also lead to an increase in crime, due to a lack of money (Wiesner). Overall, the effects on the workers and the society of the industrial revolution were very negative. Preindustrial labor gave more power to the employees, while new labor aimed to benefit the employers of these establishments, taking away many of the small luxuries old laborers once had and effecting men, women, children in different ways. New labor and old labor are different in some ways and similar in others. For instance, both preindustrial and industrial laborers had long extensive work and little pay. However, preindustrial workers were given liberties that industrial workers could only dream of. Due to the selfishness of the employers many workers, men, women, and children, were often injured or even killed. New laborers often fell into poverty and moved to the confines of the city for work. The preindustrial and industrial workforces were clearly different and the effects brought upon by the industrial revolution were more or less terrible for all except the wealthy people who began the revolution. Work Cited 1. Wiesner, Merry E. "Chapter Six: Labor Old and New: The Impact of the Industrial Revolution." Discovering the Western past. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
The factory whistle blows right in the middle of your favorite dream. You wake up in a startle as you glance at the clock. 5:30 am. You rush to get out of bed, seeing that you have to get to work in 30 minutes. You splash some water on your face, brush your teeth, put on some fine factory clothes, pull your hair back, grab an apple and run as fast as a gazelle. The Industrial Revolution had both positive and negatives on the lives of adults and children during that time period.
Working conditions in the Industrial Revolution were very harsh. It was a time when people wanted mass amounts of production and were not concerned about how things got done as long as they got done. Chadwick and Sadler both took initiative to try to change and protect workers’ rights. As worker’s health became more public, people began to realize how bad they were suffering, the Parliament knew they had to make changes. The Parliament put in many acts and laws that would limit work hours and give workers more rights and better health.
How people worked, the nature of their interaction with society, was one of the fundamental changes brought on by the demands of the industrial revolution. Taking advantage of the benefits obtained by the division of labor and scale of production required that people work together in large groups. This new paradigm of working collectively under the factory system had no contemporary parallel – except for the working conditions of slaves who also labored in large groups. An examination of the lives of factory workers and slaves shows that there are many similarities between the way slaves were managed, and the management of industrial workers. The very nature of the administration of large groups required a similar organizational structure to effectively run a larger scale operation.
After machine-production, most factory employer’s wanted workers fit for exactly what they needed them for. In the late 1700’s, many women and children were hired for factory work because of their small, nimble body structure, which makes them capable of running and fixing the meticulously designed machines. Another employment preference is most directly women workers because they were easier to manage and to teach machine work to than men and could be paid less for the same job. Furthermore, single women were employer’s top interest because they were predicted less likely to strike and protest against the corporation. A surplus in female factory employment resulted in family problems because the “caretaker” of the family could very likely be working twelve hour days and oftentimes getting sick from unclean work conditions (Ellis and Esler 204). Their call for help in their industrial issues was soon answered by a group of organized laborers, more commonly referred to as a labor union.
The industrial revolution changed the way Americans worked. Men pursued jobs outside of the home. They performed hard labor such as; mining, construction, factory work, and various civil appointments. Most of the day was spent away from the comforts
The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change and increased efficiency. No more would be goods be produced by sole means of farming and agriculture, but now by the use of machinery and factories. Technology was beginning to increase along with the food supply as well as the population. However, this increase in population would greatly impact the social aspect of that time. Urbanization was becoming much more widespread. Cities were becoming overwhelmingly crowded and there was an increase in disease as well as harsh child labor. Although child labor would be reduced somewhat due to unions, the Industrial Revolution still contained both it’s positive and negative results.
Prior to the industrial revolution people rarely experienced change. It was an extremely different place than it is now. During the industrial revolution there was a radical change in the socioeconomic and cultural conditions. People in majority were farmers since they didn’t have any technology everybody had to grow their own food. They were interdependent in maintaining all their necessities, mainly in their local communities because of the difficulty in distant transportation because they had no motorized vehicles.
Many of people today feel trapped inside their homes, just how the women of Pre-Industrial Europe felt. Working day in and day out inside the homes, just to keep the family together, and make a little money on the side, these women were an integral part of Pre-Industrial families. Not only were the women important to Pre-Industrial European families, but so were the households. Much of the money was made in the households, and this is where families either succeeded or failed. The household and women of Pre-Industrial Europe played an integral role in the economy of the families, and more importantly, the women of these households kept them running smoothly. Without either of these important aspects of life in Pre-Industrial Europe, it is safe to say that the families would have collapsed, due to a lack of organization and structures. Pre-Industrial Europe, in which the women and the household were “the factories” per se, due to the income they generated, was much different from the Europe we know today. Leading into the Industrialization of Europe beginning in the late 1700's and lasting through the early 1800's, the household played an integral role in the family’s income. Without the household, the families would literally collapse, due to a lack of organization and stability. Within these important family sub-units, there was one married couple, their children, the family’s servants, and in some cases, depending upon the region of Europe, there were grandparents, aunts and uncles. Not only did the father and servants of the house work, but also the women and children. Also, in the case of there being more than one generation of family in a single household, depending upon the region of Europe, the grandparents, aunts, and uncles would also work within the house. Once the children of these households reached a certain age, usually the early teens, they were sent off to work in a house as a servant. These servants were different then the servants of today, as they worked for room, board, and food, not waiting on the family. Once they started to generate income, the teens would save up the money necessary to begin their own family. However, there were the few exceptions; teens that did not work as servants, and ended up marrying into an existing household. This however,...
From the late 18th century to the mid 19th century, the economy in England was transformed from an agricultural to a manufacturing –based economy. In 1801, agriculture provided employment for 36% of the British population. By 1851, only 10% of the British population was employed in agriculture, while over 40% was employed in industry (Hopkins, 36). As a direct result of this transformation, a surplus of jobs were created and displaced farming families moved in to fill them. Factory and Mine owners exploited the situation by offering families a means to make more money, by putting their children to work. Industry profited from this arrangement by saving money, since child labor was more “cost effective”. According to one historian, Clark Nardinelli, “in 1835 56,000 children under the age of thirteen were working in textile factories alone. By 1874, the number of child laborers in the market hit its peak with over 122,000 children between the ages of 10 and thirteen working in textile factories (4).”
Imagine waking up at five in the morning to walk over a mile to a factory where you work until noon where you get a half hour break for lunch, then it’s back to work until nine or ten at night, when you are finally allowed to go home and you are only eight years old. Today that seems unimaginable, but during the early 19th century it was the everyday life of thousands of children whose ages range from as young as five until you died. During the Industrial Revolution many children were required to work dangerous jobs to help their families.
The Industrial Revolution restructured the employer-employee relationship into an impersonal association exhibited by indifference to the quality of life of the worker. Children were especially exploited because they could be hired for lower wages and were made to work equally long days (Miller). Around the 1830s, children constituted about one-third of the labor in New England (Illinois Labor History Society). The conditions of workers as a whole necessitated action on behalf of the rights of laborers.
Peter Stearns claims that the industrial revolution was an intensely human experience. What initially arose as scientific advancements in metallurgy and machine building, the industrial revolution period saw a redefinition of life as a whole. As industry changed, human life began to adapt. Work life was drastically changed which, in turn, resulted in family life being affected. As is human nature, major change was met with great resistant. Ultimately, the most successful people during the transition were those that adapted quickly.
How would you feel if your boss cut down your work paycheck just because he wanted a better life for them self? The men, women and children that worked in factories during the 18th and 19th centuries were brutally mistreated causing poverty, injuries and pallid body types (Thompson). At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, working was incredibly unsafe because there were absolutely no labor or safety laws. Working conditions back then were extremely different from those that are in place today. The unbearable working conditions caused a vast amount of labor laws and rights.
Working shifts were beyond the control of the workers and the job was not necessarily stable because workers could be fired at any time for any reason (OI: “Working Conditions”). Moreover, the working environment was cramped and caused many problems to arise, such as the death of workers. The working class suffered greatly from the consequences of the Industrial Revolution. However, they also experienced many improvements in life, such as the decrease in prices of goods. The price of goods was able to decrease because of the increase in production.
The Industrial Revolution was a period from 1750 to 1850 where agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and technology went through a period of significant change. These changes had a profound impact on the social and cultural conditions of the time, beginning in the Untied Kingdom and spreading throughout Western Europe, North America, and the rest of the world. The Industrial Revolution, considered a major turning point in history, effected almost every aspect of daily life; through new discoveries in technology came new jobs; through new jobs came new working conditions; through new working conditions came new laws and new politics, the repercussions of which extend to today. As Crump emphasizes: ‘The world as we have come to know it in the twenty-first century is impossible to understand without looking at the foundations laid – mainly in the English-speaking world of the eighteenth century – in the course of what is now known, but not then, as the ‘Industrial Revolution’ .