Dai fatti alla Storia - volume 2

M1 Workers Conditions One of the most evident consequences of the factory system in England was urbanization, which was the movement of people from rural areas to cities. Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool became crowded industrial towns in a country where, until then, London had been the only great urban centre. The rapid increase in the size of the cities led to urban overcrowding. The new built-up areas grew in a chaotic way and factory workers were forced to live with their families in small, miserable buildings in unsanitary conditions. Often, they did not have access to clean water and the sewer systems were rudimentary and caused the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis and smallpox. The entrepreneurs did not need skilled workers and could impose harsh working conditions and low wages. Men, women and children were exploited. They worked 15 or more hours a day without breaks. It was only in the first years of the 19th century that groups of industrial workers and artisans organized themselves to protest against their poor working conditions. This resulted in attacks on factories and the destruction of machinery because the mechanization of the textile industry was considered to be the cause of their miserable conditions. The Luddite Movement, which took its name from an imaginary character called Ned Ludd, led the protests and the riots. During the 19th century a class consciousness gradually developed among industrial workers and artisans. As a result, they realized that they belonged to a specific social class with common economic conditions and needs. Ned Ludd, the imaginary character who gave the name to the Luddite movement. ACTIVITY 4.F Read the text Workers Conditions and then complete the sentences by choosing the correct option. There are two extra options. 1. As a consequence of the factory system in England 2. In the new built-up areas 3. The entrepreneurs did not need skilled workers and could 4. Workers and artisans slowly developed a class consciousness, which was a. workers often did not have access to clean water. b. the realization that they belonged to a social class with common economic conditions and needs. c. workers attacked factories. d. impose low wages. e. control the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis and smallpox. f. people moved from rural areas to cities. ACTIVITY 5 General revision 548 1. What were enclosures and why were they important in the transformation of agricultural production? 2. What conditions made industrialization possible? 3. What was, in your opinion, the most important invention of the Industrial Revolution? Why? 4. Why can the division of labour be considered a great improvement? Give an example. 5. Describe two important consequences of the Industrial Revolution for workers.