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Essay / The Industrial Revolution in Britain
During the years 1783 to 1812, Britain experienced the early years of the Industrial Revolution. This revolution impacted the lives of many people in Britain in different ways, some positive due to technological advances, but others negative, such as rising infant mortality rates. However, much evidence suggests that the difficulties faced by the working class due to industrialization were overestimated, because other factors were more important. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay It is fair to assume that the main difficulties of this period were brought on by industrialization. Working conditions during this period were extremely disastrous and posed a major hardship for the working classes. Conditions were terribly humid in the factories, frequently causing lung infections among workers. Meanwhile, there was no system of sickness benefit or national insurance. It was therefore in the workers' interest to resist their illness. Work schedules were also difficult, lasting twelve hours a day, six days a week, because factory owners wanted maximum profits. Due to the extremely long hours, workers were regularly exhausted and subject to fines if this affected their punctuality. Because children are a cheaper source of labor for factory owners; the child mortality rate in London factories is 90%. Workers also risked getting their hair or fingers caught in the machines, causing many injuries, but having no source of insurance. On the other hand, the country grew richer thanks to the increase in national income. National income during this period increased from £232 million to £523 million. This meant that workers had more room for their disposable income. In addition, a wider range of products was offered, such as tea and sugar, which could be imported. The diet of the working class began to diversify. This further suggests that industrial production has increased, meaning that the variety of consumer goods has also increased. Incomes are emblematic of an increase in living standards, as the working classes, who made up around 80% of the population, migrated to the cities, where wages were higher for the same work. There were also other difficulties in this period such as the poor harvests that occurred in 1795-1796 and 1799-1800, these difficulties would have caused intense hunger and a lack of income for the farmers. Another difficulty was the Napoleonic Wars, which caused wage growth to stagnate, both of these difficulties were not linked to industrialization. There were also social reforms that affected the company's executives, creating difficulties for workers. The Combine Acts of 1799 were an integral part of these reforms. The workers had moved to the city and lived near each other, so they shared ideas with their peers and could air their grievances to one another. This led to the development of trade unionism. By now, the French Revolution was underway and the British government was still worried about the risk of it influencing British citizens. As a result, coalition laws banned unionism and limited workers' rights and political voice...