While child labor conditions in Europe during the Industrial Revolution were dangerous and sometimes deadly, the era was only able to achieve the extraordinary profits and achievements it did thanks to child labor. They accomplished these feats through the wide range of work children performed in factories, coal mines, and cotton mills. Children who worked in factories were cheaper to hire than adults and could be manipulated through physical abuse into working long hours and for low wages. The industrial revolution led to an increase in population which resulted in an increase in the number of child workers. New factories were built, which created more jobs. These jobs led to more homes being built, and people flocked to factories for work. With a sustained income, families grow and therefore the population increases. The increase in population made it possible to employ more children, who, as previously stated, represented a much cheaper labor force than adults and did not need to be qualified . The children would work 12 to 19 hours a day with minimal break time. They were whipped, beaten, and abused if they fell asleep on the job or went beyond the rules, which was mostly the case with younger children. Skilled, expensive workers were no longer needed as the industrial revolution brought easy-to-use machines. The children did not need special skills to operate the machines, so the factory owners could pay them very little, often 10 to 20 percent of an adult's salary. Factory owners benefited greatly from the low wages they had for their employees and the number of items produced and sold. Coal mining was a source of significant profits during the Industrial Revolution. Children worked in the coal mines where the accident... middle of paper... era was flourishing. They were very involved in factories, coal mines and textile mills. These businesses were major parts of the economy in the 18th and 19th centuries and relied heavily on child labor. 10, no. 4 (October 1997), pp. 357-375Proletarianization in the Industrial Revolution: Regionalism and Kinship in the Labor Markets of the British Coal Industry from the 17th to the 19th CenturiesJohn LangtonTransactions of the Institute of British GeographersNew Series, Vol. 25, no. 1 (2000), pp. 31-49 Schmidt, James D. 2010. “Broken Promises: Child Labor and Industrial Violence.” Perspectives on Law and Society 10, no. 3:14-17. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 29, 2011).