Franco, Frech

Belén Franco, Camilla Frech

Melissa Marroquín

10

5/23/2023

To what extent did the Industrial Revolution change daily life for the working class at the

end of the 18th century? In your response, discuss at least three different ways that people's

lives were affected.

Imagine a world without factories, technology, and massive production rates. Now imag-

ine the time when all of this started. The industrial revolution defined a significant evolution in

human history, where entrepreneurs and inventors came together to innovate industry and life-

style. It began from the late 18 th to 19th century, after the variation in the economic and social

structure of Western Europe and North America. Due to the Industrial Revolution, the working

class emerged, who operated the factory machinery. It was the most demanding class among all,

as the German social philosopher Karl Marx said, "The Industrial Revolution was a time of great

progress, but it was also a time of great exploitation and injustice." This quote refers to the work -

ing class, men, women, and children, who were the ones abused by the higher classes to create

the great progress as stated in the quote. In the following essay the demands that the working

class faced like; the labor exploitation in harsh conditions, the concerning health and living cir-

cumstances & the huge social inequality and mistreatment that this social class was facing will

be discussed.

The laboring conditions for the working class during the industrial revolution were not

safe, and unfair for laborers. Factory conditions during this time period tempted the workers

lives since they were not clean, didn’t have well illumination, the work areas had poor ventila-
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tion, and they were constantly exposed to heavy metal, dust and toxic solvents, as a result the

workers often got injured, they would frequently get caught in the machinery, which could lead

to serious injuries such as, amputations, crushed limbs and even death. In textile factories, work-

ers were commonly injured by the spinning machines and weaving looms. The most dangerous

work conditions were in coal mines not only because of the multiple accidents like the case ob-

served in the image published by Elias Beck in the History Crunch how Neil Gallagher a 13-year

child laborer had lost his leg due to an accident at a Pennsylvania mine during Industrial Revolu-

tion, but also because the workers inhaled the dust of coal which stole from them 10 years of

their lives. For this kind of accident, the government did not offer any kind of aid in case of in-

jury. This was not only a cultural and social problem but also a governmental issue since the

government didn’t take action, working conditions started to get worse for the working class and

took a serious toll on their health, as they endure this both in their workplace and households.

The living and health conditions in the urban areas during this period were characterized

by unhealthy living conditions, poor nutrition, and many emerging diseases. One of the major is-

sues that laboring families were challenged was the tough conditions of the places they lived,

such as, dirty tenements and shelters, or living in the dark, but the most common issue was over -

crowding, during this period easily could fit from ten to twelve people in just one room. By 1851

2.3 million of London´s population lived in tenement apartments (History Channel). These fac-

tors added up to lack of access to nutritious food. Many workers were paid very low wages and

could not afford to buy healthy food. Instead, they had to rely on cheap, unhealthy food such as

bread and cheese. This led to malnutrition and poor health, making their immune system weak

and this was a target for diseases including tuberculosis, Cholera, typhoid fever, smallpox and

respiratory diseases, they were mainly caused by the air pollution that the factories created and
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the highly contaminated environment. The previously mentioned elements contributed to de-

creasing the labor class life span by an average of 17 years compared to 38 years in rural areas

(Trunity Platform). All these poor health and living conditions only added to the numerous fac-

tors of social inequality that the working class families had to face.

The Industrial Revolution led to a significant increase in social inequality, specifically in

terms of economic opportunities, education, and healthcare, while the emergent middle class

benefited from the laboring class overwork. The creation of machines and technology generated

two sides, for the upper and middle classes it meant wealth and social climbing, while on the

other side for the working class it meant more labor, demand, and exploitation. The illustrated

American on July 14, 1994, portrayed a cartoon about The Pullman Company, showing George

Pullman, owner of the Pullman company that manufactured “first class” railroad cars, oppressing

one of his employees, and at the same time with words written all over cartoon demonstrating the

conditions of the laboring man during Industrialization. This was only a representation of a real

social effect that came with industrialization happening. The upper and middle classes were en-

joying all the wealth and benefits they were gaining, for example their education system grew,

their kids had access to education, girls could even practice sports like Tennis, which before

wasn’t allowed. The access to healthcare was uneven for the two social classes, the upper and

middle class could have private healthcare since they could afford it, as well they could obtain

the newest medical information like advancements in surgery. They also had flexible working

schedules that gave them time for attending medical appointments, and to rest and recover. In the

working class it was the opposite, women and children were mainly employed because they were

the cheapest source of labor, making kids not able to access education, since they were working

to help paying the bills because of the low wages they earned and the high taxes that they were
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demanded. The working class struggled to obtain good medical care, that made them assist in

public hospitals that were overcrowded and inefficient, private medical care was not even an op-

tion for most of them. The factory owners wanted to keep their machines working as many hours

as possible and because of this a worker spent over 14 hours a day at the job, 6 days a week. The

social inequality during the Industrial Revolution was hugely marked and present as stated in the

reasons above.

Through reviewing these findings, we can state that the Industrial Revolution changed

daily life for the working class at the end of the 18 th century in many ways. First of all, the cre-

ation of new machines and technologies led to labor exploitation in harsh working conditions.

Secondarily new concerning health and living conditions emerged affecting the lower classes

lives. Finally, there was taking place to a vast social inequality and mistreating. For these reasons

the industrial revolution marked a change in the daily life of the working class, leaving its effects

until now a day with lasting and profound impact on the working class and in society. While it

brought about economic growth and prosperity for some people, it also promoted inequality and

poverty for many others.

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Work Cited:

Beck, Elias. “Child Labor in the Industrial Revolution.” History Crunch, History Crunch, 5 Oct.

2016, www.historycrunch.com/child-labor-in-the-industrial-revolution.html#/.

Accessed 23 May 2023.

History.com Editors. “Industrial Revolution.” History, A&E Television Networks, 28 Aug. 2018,

www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution/industrial-revolution.

Accessed 19 May 2023.

The Ohio State University. “Pullman Strike | EHISTORY.” Osu.edu, 2019, ehistory.osu.edu/ex-

hibitions/1912/content/pullman.

Accessed 23 May 2023.

“Trunity Platform.” Hmh.trunity.org, hmh.trunity.org/courses/367407/topics/15326712/article/

5d266983c96b40508d280674. Accessed 24 May 2023.

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Annex:

Fig 1: The Condition of the Laboring Man at Pullman, Chicago Labor. (The Ohio state

university)

Fig 2: Child laborer (Neil Gallagher) who was injured in an accident at a Pennsylvania

mine during the time of the Industrial Revolution. He was just 13 years old. (History Crunch)
Franco, Frech