Introduction
Working today can be can be considered to be quite safe in comparison to the conditions as they were initially during the industrial revolution. This is because, currently, various governments in the world have made legislations that touch on the ways in which employers ought to provide employees with their welfare e.g. safe working environment and conditions together with the required equipment to conduct their duties. Notably, at the commencement of the industrial revolution, the laws that safeguarded the workers were non-existent and as a result, working in the factories and farms could indeed prove to be dangerous. In this light, the following article will discuss whether the suffering of the workers during the industrial revolution has been exaggerated or not.
The Industrial Revolution is the period that involved massive economic and social changes that came about as a result of the development of mass production methods and steam powered engines. Although it began in the Great Britain in 1760, by the 19th century it had extended throughout other parts of the world. Industrial Revolution brought drastic changes in the lives of vast segments of the population in the entire Great Britain. There was discipline and regimented at work. People began to work outside their homes as well. Additionally, there were massive rural to urban migrations, and this resulted in drastic lifestyle changes as well.
In Great Britain, the Industrial belt stretched to the Southern Wales valleys from the lowlands of Scott. The major factory centers that had also been developed aided in the establishment of railroads, canals, and road networks. Examples of these factory centers included Lancashire, Yorkshire, Manchester, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. It is at these centers that the class of proletariat was given birth to. Employment opportunities arose from different family members, thanks to Industrial Revolution. Nonetheless, the laboring class’ quality of life depended on how hard and the bitter experiences that they received from the factory labor. It is widely believed that the laboring class was subjected to a lot of sufferings in their workplaces. However, opponents of this notion of the argument believe that this claim has largely been exaggerated.
Industrial Revolution provided opportunities for workers in equal measures. Although the working conditions were largely deplorable, workers who could work hard reaped from their sweat. In this regard, Darwin’s theory of natural selection was justified. Darwin had initially explained that those organisms who survive do so because of possession of superior abilities which make it possible for them to adapt. This implied that those workers who had strong traits and, therefore, could work harder emerged as the real beneficiaries of Industrial Revolution. On the other hand, the weaker ones were gradually shoved aside and continued blaming the working conditions for the poor lifestyles. However, Darwin’s theory was also used retrogressively to justify European conquest on people living in non-European regions. Through Social Darwinism, belief was coined that Darwin's survival of the fittest implied that as living things continue with their struggle to survive, those nations that are weaker must pave the way for more powerful ones. Imperialism was accepted as the natural order of the day. This contributed to a lot of suffering to workers who emanated from these countries.
Industrial Revolution had its own benefits to workers as well. It gave workers opportunities to explore and add new knowledge without suffering. For instance, some workers in the Great Britain and later on in Germany developed new organic compounds for artificial dying. As a result, working in the textile industry was simplified, and employees could suffer less. Additionally, Industrial Revolution led to the invention of electricity and combustion engine. These inventions contributed to the lessening of work for the workers who in turn suffered less due to low transportation costs. On the other hand, it ensured that populations had more incomes. Advances in science and technology in the agricultural sector ensured that hard labor was abolished, and this gave workers an edge.
The working class also formed organizations of mutual and friendly societies. These organizations concentrated their activities on entertainment and insurance. Additionally, cooperative movements of the workers ensured that workers were organized themselves into millions. As a result, they were able to abolish idle profit and shared their rewards justly. This situation gave workers more control over their finances and, in turn, led to the elimination of their suffering. Besides, the deplorable working conditions that were initially characterized by increased food prices and other basic commodities were corrected by this cooperation. They agitated for fair pricing of essential commodities such as food, clothing and shelter. Moreover, the working class organizations contributed immensely to helping producers and consumers form cooperative movements where they could save and borrow money as well. It is from these cooperative movements that such ideas as socialism and liberalism arose. Later on, the movements provided people with platforms for agitating for the abolition of land and factory ownership and put more emphasis on addressing workers’ exploitation.
The suffering of the workers during Industrial Revolution has not been exaggerated. Available evidence indicates that although the rural poor had lower incomes, their diet was actually superior as compared to the urban poor in terms of the composition of nutrients. This implies that the working conditions in these two areas were different. It is imperative noting that numerous agricultural workers resided in the country side and consequently ate more to make up for the energy lost in the fields. Another challenge was the soaring rent prices coupled by immense pressures on the urban lands because of the setting up of several factories. As a result, the workers had to find alternative housing in the already crowded suburbs of the towns. (More, 2000, p. 152)
However going with the rates of mortality during the Industrial Revolution period, it can be argued that the sufferings of the workers were not exaggerated. The urban areas of England and Scotland experienced high rates of mortality between the 1820s and 1830s. When rural to urban migrations was on the rise, rural infrastructure such as parishes and market towns collapsed. This led to overcrowding of urban resources like sewage facilities, water, and housing. Diseases were readily transmitted in these situations. Additionally, infant and child mortalities also shot up. Interestingly, cities located in the southern regions registered lower mortality rates since expansion in those areas took place slowly. There was slow growth in agricultural activities during this period. This translated to low income per person. In Manchester, a sense of horror, as well as, fright always arose whenever one mentioned the living conditions of the industrial workers. They lived in filthy ruins that were uninhabitable. (Legacy.fordham.edu, 2016)
Children bore the highest brunt of Industrial Revolution. They tended to enter the workforce at very tender ages. Children were more preferred by owners of factories, who viewed as more docile as compared to adults. With time, working in factories became more luring to children and the end results were detrimental to them. In textile mills, children were more preferred since they could accept lower wages. A majority of child workers came from poor backgrounds, orphans or children of widows. However, the Industrial Revolution did not invent child labor. These children had been working on their family farms before being employed in factories. The only thing that changed was that they were introduced as significant players in the economic system although at a terrible cost. Concerning the mistreatments, it is written that ‘child laborers were often subject to beatings since they were less likely to be responsive to the consequences of fines and dismissal.’ (Roessler and Miklos, 2003, p. 121)
Children worked throughout the day on machines in restricted areas. They mainly did cleaning and oiling. Because of exhaustion due to overworking many children would find themselves dossing off on machines and this earned them thorough beatings and tortures from their masters. The masters resorted to torture and cruelty on children to keep them awake and ensure high output. As a result, many of them suffered severe bodily harms characterized by broken bones, deformed frames, and hunched backs. There was also a high level of rural poverty as described in the text by Florence Nightingale. She mentions that as a result, there was high death rates emanating from poor nutrition, inadequate dietary information and also the lack of supplies. (Legacy.fordham.edu, 2016)
Both boys and girls working in the mines would report to work at 4 or 5 am and many of them were under the ages of 13. Those between 13 to 18 years old formed the majority of the children. Furthermore, the working conditions at the mines were deplorable rendering them unsafe for the welfare of children. Subsequently, some kids would cripple their limbs or have parts of their bodies distorted or even be killed altogether. Still some of them would get lost in the vast mines never to be found again. The air in the mines was not conducive for breathing either, and many children would fall victims of painful and fatal breathing diseases. Therefore, the continuation of Industrial Revolution period ensured that workers challenges became more complex. Political and labor unions acted as motivations to many workers who organized themselves to fight for good wages and better working conditions. (Schwarzkopf, 2009, p. 109)
Conclusion
The discussion above has centered on the ideology that the workers during the industrial revolution underwent horrific experiences in the hands of the colonialists. For instance, an assertion is made that ‘factory owners imposed stringent regulations involving severe fines or even dismissal for a variety of infractions.’ (Roessler and Miklos, 2003, p. 121). It has attested that the conditions of doing work today cannot be compared to how they were during the industrial revolution. It has mentioned both the arguments and counter arguments regarding whether the sufferings of the workers were actually exaggerated. On the positive side, the establishment of factories aided in opening up areas thus establishing railroads, canals and the road networks. Employment also arose as a result of the industrial revolution. With this, the article has proclaimed Darwin’s theory and that of imperialism. On the other hand, the high mortality rates point out to the tremendous sufferings of the workers. There was an influx of diseases and the collapse of market structures such parishes. Besides, child mortalities also shot up because of an increase in child labor in the factories. The living conditions of the workers were deplorable in addition to their poor pay. All these made the challenges that they underwent more complex and as such, the sufferings cannot be said to have been exaggerated.
References
Legacy.fordham.edu. 2016. Internet History Sourcebooks. Retrieved 22 February 2016, from http://legacy.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/nightingale-rural.asp
Legacy.fordham.edu. 2016. Internet History Sourcebooks. Retrieved 22 February 2016, from http://legacy.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1844engels.asp
More, C. 2000. Understanding the Industrial Revolution. London, GBR: Routledge
Roessler, S. E. and Miklos, R. 2003. Europe, 1715-1919. From Enlightenment to World War. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Schwarzkopf, J. 2009. The Social Condition of the Working Class. In: S. Berger, ed., A Companion to Nineteenth-Century Europe: 1789-1914, 1st ed. London: BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, p.499.
