What was daily life like in a factory in the early 1800s

The changing world of the Second Industrial Revolution also led to fears by social critics about the loss of freedom, autonomy and independence that is replaced by boredom, repetition and toil, according to Freeman.

It has been followed by the Third Industrial Revolution in which digital communications technology and the internet changed how we transmit information, do business and interact with each other. Some argue we are now entering a Fourth Industrial Revolution , in which robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and biotechnology are changing our concepts of both life and consciousness.

The trajectory of this phase of human development must wait for future historians to write. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. The early temperance movement - origins. The early temperance movement - spread and temporary decline.

Women's labor. Women's rights and the Seneca Falls Convention. Consequently, progress brought a whole new set of health problems that were widespread in Europe and in America. Click on the "Photo Album" below to see a brief summary of living conditions in England during the s.

Turn the pages by clicking on the right or left side of each page to view some public health problems that intensified as a result of the Industrial Revolutilon. This content requires JavaScript enabled. At the time, most people rarely traveled beyond the small and medium-sized villages where they lived. Rural people worked as subsistence farmers, which meant they grew crops to feed themselves and their families, not to trade or sell.

The European population grew substantially during the 18 th century, and farmers increased production to keep pace. Machines became widely used in farming, and consequently, farms required fewer workers. Large, technologically advanced farms replaced subsistence farms. According to this principle, increased production of goods leads to increased efficiency.

For peasants, however, large-scale production meant fewer economic opportunities. Conditions worsened due to the enclosure movement.

Previously, villages had shared lands for grazing animals that could be used by all villagers. Once large-scale agriculture became widespread, wealthy people bought these lands and used them for private farms. More and more people in rural communities struggled. Many left their old lives behind and headed for towns and cities to find new employment. The growth of British cities was further accelerated by the development of factories.

Industrial cities such as Manchester and Leeds grew dramatically in just a few decades. In , about 20 percent of the British population lived in cities.

In just 50 years, by the middle of the 19 th century, that number had risen to 50 percent. Other Western European nations, including France, the Netherlands, and Germany, also saw an increase in the urban population, although their changes proceeded at a slower rate.

Factory work in urban areas differed from farming. Before the Industrial Revolutions, artisans such as jewelers, weavers, and blacksmiths produced most manufactured goods.

The mains sources of energy were human and animal muscle, along with the waterwheel. Families Were Forced To Focus on Factory Work The dawn of industrialization came alongside inventions such as the coal-powered steam engine, and the pace of work increased as a result.

In factories, coal mines and other industrial workplaces, workers put in long hours in miserable and dangerous conditions. As countries industrialized, factories became larger and produced more goods. Larger companies that were able to achieve economies of scale did better in international trade. Earlier forms of work began to disappear. Perhaps the most harmful consequences of industrialization were those affecting families.