Consequences of the Industrial Revolution: Society, Cities & Labor

Consequences of the Industrial Revolution

A. Society

They were divided into social classes marked by money. Three groups:

• Upper bourgeoisie: bankers, landlords, owners of large factories.
• Middle bourgeoisie: traders, senior officials, professionals (lawyers, doctors).
• Lower bourgeoisie: shopkeepers, employees, artisans.

Workers: less important than the bourgeoisie. The factory workers and peasants were the proletariat.

B. Cities

General changes

• The cities grew.
• City walls were demolished.

The cities were divided

• Wealthy part of the city: water and sewage systems, rich houses, well constructed and with green areas.
• Workers' part: overcrowded, no hygiene, houses were small, dark, damp and dirty; streets unorganized, epidemics, no health services, no sewers, streets not paved.

C. Living conditions

• Wealthy bourgeoisie: nice neighbourhood, luxury houses, they had money, enjoyed themselves, comfortable living; ruling class.
• Workers: small houses, overcrowded, most of the time working, low wages, rising mortality, illnesses, child labour, no legal protection for workers, no hygiene; they lived around the factories.

D. Workers' movement

When workers rebelled:

• Luddism: workers destroyed machinery and set fire to factories.
• Workers' associations: were created to help (with money) the members of that association.
• Trade unions: associations of workers that fought to improve working conditions. Three ways: negotiation, demonstrations, strikes.

And they were outlawed.

Ideologies: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th century defended socialism.

Socialism

Socialism: Marx and Engels said that the means of production should belong to the state because the profits of factories should serve society. They also said that there would be a classless society.

Anarchism

Anarchism: Proudhon and Bakunin were the thinkers that advocated the elimination of private property and a classless society or state. They defended the idea of people organizing themselves without a state or authority threatening them.

What is a socialist party?

It is a political party in national parliaments that promotes better working conditions, including universal suffrage for women, to improve workers' conditions.

What is an anarchist trade union?

They are trade unions that defended workers' conditions in two ways:

• By violent actions.
• By traditional ways: negotiation, strikes, demonstrations.