The Industrial Revolution has many devastating results on the working class of England. Many workers are exploited by their employers in dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary, and unhealthy working conditions, but are unable to express their pain because labour unions are illegal; as a result, violent protests were provoked. As a result, is absolutely necessary for reforms to be pushed in Britain. These set of reforms should ban child labour, limit working hours, propose a minimum wage for all workers, establish a profit-sharing platform for all companies that produces incentives for workers that may increase their effectiveness to make up for the limited working hours. Last, physical abuses in working places should be outlawed as enforced paid days off should be put in place; more importantly, labour unions should be legalized to protect workers from industry owner’s abuse. Without these reforms, British society’s living quality may be reduced as child labors detriments meritocracy due to poor children’s lack of opportunities for education and exhaustion from working. Furthermore, the low wages, physical abuses, and no-days-off for the working class may provoke a revolution in England as the workers may struggle to survive. Last, the violent protests would continue without the legalization of labour unions because workers’ stance are not able to be supported peacefully. The following paragraphs would outline the horrific conditions of the workers, the evidence for the need of reforms and potential disasters without them, and detailed explanation of the proposed reforms.
As the Industrial Revolution emerged in Britain due to the invention of steam engines, entrepreneurship, population boom and urbanization, and the freedom of ideas, the growing middle class are able to make profit from their companies to afford decent living. Nevertheless, the peasants who migrated to the city are having an ever-harder life. First, workers have to work long hours in factories through the day part of the night, with little time to rest nor sleep. An evidence is shown in the following primary source:
"We went to the mill at five in the morning. We worked until dinner time and then to nine or ten at night; on Saturday it could be till eleven and often till twelve at night. We were sent to clean the machinery on the Sunday." — Man interviewed in 1849 who had worked in a mill as a child.
As a result, the workers who came to work late or drooled off during work were either physically abused or “quartered,” in which a quarter of the day’s wage was cut. This leads to the second horrific conditions, where workers were paid a meager amount, barely enough to survive. Third, many workers were consisted of children, who, as a primary source pointed out, were as young as five. These children worked in dangerous conditions, as described in the following sources
"The smallest child in the factories were scavengers……they go under the machine, while it is going……….it is very dangerous when they first come, but they become used to it." Charles Aberdeen worked in a Manchester cotton factory, written in 1832.
The child labour prevents the proper development of children as they were exploited day and night; they did not receive education, have barely enough sleep, as a source mentioned, many children barely slept 4 hours a day. This may contribute to negative long term health effects. Last, as many of the working class are destitute, they are exploited by the factory owners due to three reasons. First, since they are impoverished, they had no choice but to either work or starve. Second, due to the population boom, the great labour supply allow any workers to be replaced easily if fired. Third, little laws supported the working class’s powerlessness since it is a new phenomenon in Britain. (Labour union is illegal, which stifle the workers from uniting against factory owners.) As a result, sick workers were forced to work for their low wages and to prevent themselves from being fired. Furthermore, they were unable to resist the periodical physical abuses of their employers, as shown in the following primary source:
"Woodward and other overlookers used to beat me with pieces of thick leather straps made supple by oil, and having an iron buckle at the end, drew blood almost every time it was applied." John Brown quoted in the "Lion" newspaper in 1828.
The workers were virtually powerless against the factory owners as their bowl wholly depended on the factory owners. Last, the Luddites, or textile factory workers, used violence to express their anger for being replaced by machines in factories. Since labour unions is illegal in Britain, no protest, even peaceful ones, were able to be organized. As a result, the Luddites and other workers expresses dissent through violent means such as destroying machines in factory at night surreptitiously. An example of a Luddite organized event is shown:
“On Monday afternoon a large body, not less than 2,000, commenced an attack, on the discharge of a pistol, which appeared to have been the signal; vollies of stones were thrown, and the windows smashed to atoms; the internal part of the building being guarded, a musket was discharged in the hope of intimidating and dispersing the assailants. In a very short time the effects were too shockingly seen in the death of three, and it is said, about ten wounded.”— The Manchester Gazette (2nd May, 1812)
The primary sources above show the need for reforms in Britain. The following are the proposed reforms. First, the banning of child labour. Without banning child labour, education could not be promoted while children’s health will be at risk. Furthermore, the family’s income could not rise as child labour replaces men and women of working age who could receive higher wage than children. Second, working hours of men and women should be limited as long working hours is detrimental to people’s health. Without limiting long working hours, the worker’s lives may shorten, which as a result, would reduce the labour supply. Third, a standard minimum wage should be enforced for all workers to protect workers from exploitation from factory. Without a standard living wage, the workers may be impoverished and unable to live. If both the second and third reforms are not passed, Britain may face a revolution just like the French Revolution, which was caused because the economic crisis produced great social disparity between Third Estate’s (working, merchant, artisan class) with the First (Kings and noble class) and Second Estate (Clergy class), in which the Third Estate struggled to survive.
The fourth reform is more radical, but will be beneficial for France’s industries and of workers. It calls for the establishment of a profit sharing system, in which only part of the profit of the company should be shared with the workers, providing them incentives to work effectively to allow workers to work less but produce a greater output; it would allow factories to not force its workers to work long hours. Without the reform, the second reform may not be possible. The fifth reform is the illegalization of physical abuse and enforced paid-days-off to protect workers rights. The reform would protect impoverished, sick workers from exploitation, since it allow the workers to rest while receiving pay they need to afford a livelihood. The last reform is the legalization of labour unions, which would facilitate protests for the workers and serve as non-governmental organizations that could push for reforms for the workers to combat new phenomenons. The legalization of labour unions grant power to the working class against factory owners’ exploitation. Without the fifth reform, the exploitation of workers may also cause a revolution, as the Luddites’ violent activities may turn radical like the French Revolution.
In conclusion, reforms are necessary in the English Parliament to protect the working class from factory owners and their employer’s exploitation. As the Industrial Revolution produces new phenomenon such as child labour and workers working long hours for low wages, the government needs to take new actions to ban child labors, limit working hours, enforce a minimum wage, establish profit sharing, illegalize physical abuse of workers, enforce days-off-with-pay for workers, and the legalization of labor unions. Without any of the following reforms, the workers may be exploited and revolution in England may ensue as the people turn towards violence since they are unable to afford a living, just like the French Revolution. Britain should learn from the past, of the French Revolution, to prevent any disaster of such scale from happening.
Reforms:
1. No child labour
2. Limit working hours
3. Minimum Wage
4. Profit Sharing
5. Illegalize physical abuse of workers and excused days off with pay
6. Legalize Labour Unions
As the Industrial Revolution emerged in Britain due to the invention of steam engines, entrepreneurship, population boom and urbanization, and the freedom of ideas, the growing middle class are able to make profit from their companies to afford decent living. Nevertheless, the peasants who migrated to the city are having an ever-harder life. First, workers have to work long hours in factories through the day part of the night, with little time to rest nor sleep. An evidence is shown in the following primary source:
"We went to the mill at five in the morning. We worked until dinner time and then to nine or ten at night; on Saturday it could be till eleven and often till twelve at night. We were sent to clean the machinery on the Sunday." — Man interviewed in 1849 who had worked in a mill as a child.
As a result, the workers who came to work late or drooled off during work were either physically abused or “quartered,” in which a quarter of the day’s wage was cut. This leads to the second horrific conditions, where workers were paid a meager amount, barely enough to survive. Third, many workers were consisted of children, who, as a primary source pointed out, were as young as five. These children worked in dangerous conditions, as described in the following sources
"The smallest child in the factories were scavengers……they go under the machine, while it is going……….it is very dangerous when they first come, but they become used to it." Charles Aberdeen worked in a Manchester cotton factory, written in 1832.
The child labour prevents the proper development of children as they were exploited day and night; they did not receive education, have barely enough sleep, as a source mentioned, many children barely slept 4 hours a day. This may contribute to negative long term health effects. Last, as many of the working class are destitute, they are exploited by the factory owners due to three reasons. First, since they are impoverished, they had no choice but to either work or starve. Second, due to the population boom, the great labour supply allow any workers to be replaced easily if fired. Third, little laws supported the working class’s powerlessness since it is a new phenomenon in Britain. (Labour union is illegal, which stifle the workers from uniting against factory owners.) As a result, sick workers were forced to work for their low wages and to prevent themselves from being fired. Furthermore, they were unable to resist the periodical physical abuses of their employers, as shown in the following primary source:
"Woodward and other overlookers used to beat me with pieces of thick leather straps made supple by oil, and having an iron buckle at the end, drew blood almost every time it was applied." John Brown quoted in the "Lion" newspaper in 1828.
The workers were virtually powerless against the factory owners as their bowl wholly depended on the factory owners. Last, the Luddites, or textile factory workers, used violence to express their anger for being replaced by machines in factories. Since labour unions is illegal in Britain, no protest, even peaceful ones, were able to be organized. As a result, the Luddites and other workers expresses dissent through violent means such as destroying machines in factory at night surreptitiously. An example of a Luddite organized event is shown:
“On Monday afternoon a large body, not less than 2,000, commenced an attack, on the discharge of a pistol, which appeared to have been the signal; vollies of stones were thrown, and the windows smashed to atoms; the internal part of the building being guarded, a musket was discharged in the hope of intimidating and dispersing the assailants. In a very short time the effects were too shockingly seen in the death of three, and it is said, about ten wounded.”— The Manchester Gazette (2nd May, 1812)
The primary sources above show the need for reforms in Britain. The following are the proposed reforms. First, the banning of child labour. Without banning child labour, education could not be promoted while children’s health will be at risk. Furthermore, the family’s income could not rise as child labour replaces men and women of working age who could receive higher wage than children. Second, working hours of men and women should be limited as long working hours is detrimental to people’s health. Without limiting long working hours, the worker’s lives may shorten, which as a result, would reduce the labour supply. Third, a standard minimum wage should be enforced for all workers to protect workers from exploitation from factory. Without a standard living wage, the workers may be impoverished and unable to live. If both the second and third reforms are not passed, Britain may face a revolution just like the French Revolution, which was caused because the economic crisis produced great social disparity between Third Estate’s (working, merchant, artisan class) with the First (Kings and noble class) and Second Estate (Clergy class), in which the Third Estate struggled to survive.
The fourth reform is more radical, but will be beneficial for France’s industries and of workers. It calls for the establishment of a profit sharing system, in which only part of the profit of the company should be shared with the workers, providing them incentives to work effectively to allow workers to work less but produce a greater output; it would allow factories to not force its workers to work long hours. Without the reform, the second reform may not be possible. The fifth reform is the illegalization of physical abuse and enforced paid-days-off to protect workers rights. The reform would protect impoverished, sick workers from exploitation, since it allow the workers to rest while receiving pay they need to afford a livelihood. The last reform is the legalization of labour unions, which would facilitate protests for the workers and serve as non-governmental organizations that could push for reforms for the workers to combat new phenomenons. The legalization of labour unions grant power to the working class against factory owners’ exploitation. Without the fifth reform, the exploitation of workers may also cause a revolution, as the Luddites’ violent activities may turn radical like the French Revolution.
In conclusion, reforms are necessary in the English Parliament to protect the working class from factory owners and their employer’s exploitation. As the Industrial Revolution produces new phenomenon such as child labour and workers working long hours for low wages, the government needs to take new actions to ban child labors, limit working hours, enforce a minimum wage, establish profit sharing, illegalize physical abuse of workers, enforce days-off-with-pay for workers, and the legalization of labor unions. Without any of the following reforms, the workers may be exploited and revolution in England may ensue as the people turn towards violence since they are unable to afford a living, just like the French Revolution. Britain should learn from the past, of the French Revolution, to prevent any disaster of such scale from happening.
Reforms:
1. No child labour
2. Limit working hours
3. Minimum Wage
4. Profit Sharing
5. Illegalize physical abuse of workers and excused days off with pay
6. Legalize Labour Unions