1. Social Impact of IRFriday March 30th 2012 Vocab: Urbanization Middle Class Tenements Luddites Guiding Questions What were working conditions like? What was life like for children?

2. Urbanization • The IR brought rapid urbanization—the movement of people to cities • Literally small towns became sprawling cities • Manchester England had 17,000 people in 1750 and in 1780 40,000 and in 1801 70,0000

3. New Social Classes • The IR created a middle class and a working class • Middle class owned and operated the new factories, mines, and railroads • More comfortable than the working class • Lived in well furnished, big homes on paved streets • Took pride in their work, little sympathy for the poor • Working class worked in mines or factories • Very difficult life, awful working conditions • Lived in Tenements—multistory building divided into apts • No sewage or sanitation systems

4. Working Conditions • Labor unions were illegal at the time, but some secret unions existed • Tried to reform the workplace, but had no power • First industrial riots occurred in England from 1811 to 1813 • Textile workers, known as the Luddites, resisted the labor-saving machines that were taking their jobs and would smash the machines in secret at night. • Workers faced horrible working conditions • Shifts were from 12 to 16 hours long, 6 or 7 days a week • Lost lots of limbs to accidents with machines • Most factory workers were women because they could pay them less

5. Miners and Children • Miners were paid more but the working conditions were far worse than factories, • Had to work in the dark, and dust destroyed their lungs • Dangers of explosions, flooding and collapsing tunnels • Children were valuable workers in both the mines and factories • Most started working at 7 • Small fingers were easier for machines • Small bodies could crawl under the machines • Many were forced to work in the mines • Child labor laws were passed in the early 1800’s to remove children under 8 but were not enforced