industrial revolutions- PIH Flashcards
‘The Industrial Revolution in Britain had a major impact on people’s lives.’ In
the light of the above statement, write an account of the effects of the Industrial
Revolution on one of the following aspects of everyday life in Britain.
(a) Housing and diet
(a) Housing and diet
> The rapid increase in the size of the cities caused overcrowding.
> Factory workers lived near where they worked. Some families lived in one room. Some even
lived in cellars where the walls were black with damp.
> Some factory workers slept on straw put on the ground.
> There was no running water. As many as 100 people shared one toilet – a pit dug in the
ground.
> There were open drains in the middle of the streets and rubbish was thrown into the drains.
> Food consisted of bread, cheese, potatoes and porridge. Tea was drunk with meals.
> Meat was rarely eaten maybe some bacon or mutton.
‘The Industrial Revolution in Britain had a major impact on people’s lives.’ In
the light of the above statement, write an account of the effects of the Industrial
Revolution on one of the following aspects of everyday life in Britain.
(b) Health and leisure activities
b) Health and leisure activities
> There were serious health problems in the factory towns such as Manchester.
> Rubbish and sewage piled up in the streets and floated in the river. As a result disease
spread quickly.
> Water was not safe to drink due to pollution and many people caught typhoid.
> Other diseases that were rampant were cholera and TB.
> After 1850 British cities built sewers and improved sanitation. This reduced the effect of
diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
> Although working hours were long, workers enjoyed many different forms of
entertainment. Drinking was very popular. There was no age limit for drinking and pubs
opened for most of the day.
> Other pastimes included bull baiting, cock-fighting and prize-fighting. Gambling on the
outcome of these sports was very common.
> Later on in the century going to football matches on a Saturday afternoon became a
popular pastime.
‘The Industrial Revolution in Britain had a major impact on people’s lives.’ In
the light of the above statement, write an account of the effects of the Industrial
Revolution on one of the following aspects of everyday life in Britain.
(c) Education
(c) Education
> Education for poor children was very rare around 1800. Most
factory owners saw no reason to pay to educate their child
labourers.
> However this was not always the case and some factory owners
such as Robert Owen set up schools for children.
> The different churches and some wealthy men set up schools to
educate young children.
> Ragged schools were set up supported by wealthy people
throughout Britain that provided free education for poor
children. Over 200 had been established by 1850.
> The Factory Acts limited the hours that children could work and
stated that they must attend school for a certain period of time
per day.
> In 1870 the British government introduced free primary
education for all children.
> Secondary education was rare. Rich children went to expensive
private schools called public schools.
> A lot of resistance to education reforms came from poor families themselves who wanted
their children to work in factories rather than lose money while their children were
educated.
Write about a worker in a mine during the industrial revolution
My name is John. I am six years of age and I work as a trapper in the coalmine. This means that I open and close doors in the tunnel. This is done to prevent the build-up of gases in the tunnel. The naked flame of a candle could cause an explosion. Other dangers we face are flooding and tunnels collapsing resulting in many deaths. I am afraid of working in the dark but my family need the money. I work from 5 am to 8 pm every day, six days a week. I am paid very low wages for the long hours that I work. We live in Manchester in a tiny house which we rent from the mineowner. Robert Owen A
