Review Questions for Self-Evaluation

8. The 19th Century (II) REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR SELF-EVALUATION

1. How did the railway change the lives of people in Victorian Britain? It provided job for many people, building the tracks and producing iron. It increased business activity. People could move around the country for work or pleasure. People could benefit from access to cheaper goods. Farmers could travel longer distances to get their products to markets.

2. How safe were the working conditions in Victorian Britain? Millions of workers lived in slums or in vacated old decaying upper class houses. The occupants of slums had no sanitation, no water supply, no paved streets, no schools, no law or order, no decent food or new clothing. Many now had to walk miles to mill or factory work, whereas before they had frequently lived in the house or near land where they did their work. Their hours of work began at 5.30.a.m. and were never less than ten. The brutal degrading conditions were so awful that drunkenness and opium taking was usual as their homelife had so little to offer. However the arrival of the railway changed this situation. In this period also made a number of social reforms such as: Education Act, the Public Health Act, Factory Act, etc.

3. Why have there been objections to the term Industrial Revolution? There were some disagreements amongst historians about the extent of what represented the period between about 1760 and 1840, which was conventionally called Industrial Revolution. Some of them have considered this period as one of profound change, in relationship with the rise of powered machinery and factory productions. Others have argued that this period saw more limited change. To support this argument they have mentioned that it was exaggerated, for example not many people worked in factories even at the end of this regarded period and also it had paid too little attention to important industrial advances that took place before the late eighteenth century, such as the smelting of iron using coke. The causes of the Industrial Revolution were other important things about they also differed. This has proven controversial because some historians emphasized the advances in technology. Many historians have tended to highlight changes that stimulated the supply of goods and services at the expense of changes in the demand for products. The discussion of the demand for consumer goods bought by households (pots, clothes, furniture and so on) has still tended to feature more strongly than that of producer goods purchased by businesses (such as machines and tools). It can be said, however, that these social, economic and political changes promoted Britain’s industrialization. These changes can only be gained by taking a regional approach. It is partly because industrialisation emerged more strongly in some parts of the country than others and also because the nature of industrial change differed notably at regional level in relation not only in terms of the major industries that developed, but also in terms of the methods and organization of production. The term itself suggests sudden, violent, whereas the transformation was gradual. In view of the magnitude of change between 1760 and 1840 the term seems useful.

4. Why do we remember Florence Nightingale? Thanks to Florence Nightingale became widespread training of nurses, thus giving rise to a new profession for women. Nightingale wrote about two hundred books, reports and pamphlets that had important implications for military health, social care in India, civilian hospitals, medical statistics and assistance to the sick.

13 8. The 19th Century (II) Her greatest educational contribution was the creation of new institutions for medical training both military and hospital nurses.

5. How was leisure time spent in Victorian Britain? Differences exited in the way in which leisure was (and continues to be) spent not only on a regional basis, but between the classes as well. Although the lower classes often attended the same events as the upper class, they had their own entrances and locations within the halls, restaurants, etc. The development of suburbs and the greater spending power of most workers at the end of the period similarly created opportunities for new kinds of recreation. Improved transportation enabled excursionist to go on day trips to the seaside or country, for picnics, rambles and boarding. In rare instances, some employers even sponsored teas and live musical entertainment for their employees. The spread of these recreational activities was disproportionate, as these activities were dependent upon the availability of surplus cash and a measure of free time among consumers, as well as a weakening of the dominant work ethic. Even when shorter working hours and extra holidays were introduced, many felt guilty about taking advantage of them.

6. What were the impacts of industrial revolution on the lives of the British people during that time? During that time, British people did not have any right or protection concerning to work, the general situation became worst due to the migration of peasants from the countryside to industrialized cities, then British people had some difficulties, such as: unhygienic conditions, people's health deterioration, bad diet, outbreak of diseases, insecurity, and bad employment conditions even with children.

7. How crucial were the railways to the Victorian economy? The Railway is considered to be one of the greatest factors in the transformation of Britain into an industrial nation. It moved goods, foods and people faster than canals or horsedrawn wagons and it gave employment to a huge amount people. The lives of millions were changed as the masses were able to travel. The railways were large consumers of materials and employers of labour. There were positive aspects as the marketing of agricultural products, and perishables such fish, meat, milk; but also negative aspects as accelerating the decline of many local trades and village handcraft industries.

8. Can you mention some of the inventions that shaped the industrial revolution? The crucial development of the Industrial Revolution was the use of steam for power, and the greatly improved steam engine (1769) of James Watt was the high point in this development; it was used to drain water and raise coal from the mines. In the 1760’s, two new machines revolutionized the textile industry, where the cotton was the key industry early in the Industrial Revolution. One was the spinning jenny, and the other one was the water frame, or throstle. Other inventions include: fly shuttle (1733), mule (1779), which combined the features of the jenny and the frame, and power loom (1783), all this machine tools facilitated a tremendous increase in output. There were new inventions such as “Rocket” railway train.

9. How many people died as a consequence of the Great Famine? As a consequence of the famine, a million people died of hunger in Ireland in the 1840s. One million died of starvation or the diseases associated with the famine and one million

14 8. The 19th Century (II) emigrated to North America or parts of England, such as Liverpool and Scotland. So the population dropped by 2 million. However, these who chose to emigrate had to endure a very hard journey. The condition of the ships was appalling. And as a consequence of this condition people died at the sea. The Irish Famine of 1846-50 took as many as one million lives from hunger and disease, and changed the social and cultural structure of Ireland in a number of profound ways.

10. How did the Great Famine affect emigration in Ireland? Irish people were forced to leave their country in the 19 th C after the Great Famine. Prior to 1830 emigration to America was only 50,000 Irish per year arrived; after the Great Famine arrivals increased over a million. FURTHER TASKS

1. Summarize the main consequences of the Industrial Revolution. The consequences of the Industrial Revolution changed the nature of human labour, consumption, family structure, social and individual structure. Great Britain moved into a capitalist and urban economy and into an industry-based economy.  Capitalism appeared on a large scale and a new type of commercial entrepreneur developed.  The country had large deposits of coal and iron, the two natural resources on which early industrialization depended and the most important industries were the textile and iron industries.  The English Parliament, under the control of the merchant and capitalist classes, favoured mercantile and capitalist interests.  The merchants achieved their goal through the development of factories, machines and technical skills and these technological innovations followed social and economic changes (development of iron making techniques and the introduction of steam power).  Discoveries in medicine providing for better treatments for diseases.  The new inventions and innovations contributed to a more modern outlook of life, self-improvement in the workplace and proved the benefits of a futuristic way of thinking.  Power-driven machines replaced handwork and factories developed as the best way of bringing together the machines and the workers to operate them.  Because of the improvement in industrial machinery, Great Britain became the most powerful manufacturing nation, and the strongest economically in the whole of Europe.

2. Choose one technological innovation that took place during the Industrial Revolution and write about its importance. In 1764 appeared a new machine which revolutionized the textile industry: the Spinning Jenny, a multi-spool spinning frame invented by James Hargreaves in Stanhill, Oswaldtwistle near Blackburn, Lancashire in England. The device reduced the amount of work needed to produce yarn, with a worker able to work eight or more spools at once. This grew to 120 as technology advanced. The idea was developed as a metal frame with eight wooden spindles at one end. The spinning jenny succeeded because it held more than one ball of yarn, therefore making more yarn in a shorter amount of time while reducing the overall cost. The spinning jenny wouldn't have been such a success if the flying shuttle hadn't been there with it in the textile factories. Its success was limited in that it still required the rovings to be

15 8. The 19th Century (II) prepared on a wheel, and even this was limited by the need to card by hand. It continued in common use in the cotton and fustian industry until about 1810. The spinning jenny was superseded by the spinning mule. The jenny was adapted for the process of slubbing, being the basis of the Slubbing Billy.

3. Chose one means of transport that was developed during the industrial revolution and discuss its importance. I have chosen the railways because that mean of transport had a great importance in the development of English economy: they were used to haul goods, mail and people faster and cheaper than other modes of transport such as canals or turnpikes; thus British industries became more efficient and more competitive. Besides, railways were great consumers of materials and workforce, contributing to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth. Railways caused also social effects because suddenly people were able to travel (on carriages of different categories called classes); also the London underground opened during this period changing the way of moving around in the city. Some people benefited from it (such as peasants and producers of perishables such as meat, fish, milk and vegetables) and others didn’t benefit at all (such as handcraft industries and local trades which suffered the coming of mass-produced goods).

4. Discuss the main consequences of the Great Famine. The Great Famine had great demographic, social and political consequences in Ireland. First of all, one million people died from starvation and other million people had to left the country because there was no future in Ireland. Two million people represented the 25% of the Irish population between 1846 and 1850. The landlords who tried to help tenants were bankrupt and tenants who found no help had to emigrate. Moreover, the population continued dropping after the famine because of the diseases and immigration. Second of all, people thought that the British, who ruled Ireland, did nothing to fix the situation and it created a huge resentment towards the British. Nationalist movements in Ireland become powerful and Irish-American immigrants helped to finance the Irish republican movements. The famine changed the social and cultural structure of Ireland: the Irish language suffered a blow, the land holdings became larger and changed old agricultural practices, the landlord class went bankrupt and the Government made it easier to sell their land. Hunger, disease and emigration depopulated Ireland. The famine changed the society forever and hardened resentments towards the British.

16 8. The 19th Century (II) 5. Write about working conditions for children at the beginning of the industrial revolution and how they improved during the 19th century. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, children joined their parents in the factories and employers welcomed that additional workforce. Sometimes the children started working as young as four or five years old. They had to carry out some dangerous jobs with the result of serious accidental injuries at work. Many children worked 16 hour per day under atrocious conditions. During these days hordes of dirty children roamed the streets with no regular money and no home to go to. They were portrayed by C. Dickens in his book “Oliver Twist”. The House of Commons was upset about children working conditions and ordered Michel Sadler to investigate them in 1832. The Sadler Report was filled with stories of brutality, degradation, and oppression against factory workers of all ages and status; one year later, the Factory Act was passed and it limited the hours worked by children aged between 9 and 13 to a maximum of 8 per day and children under the age of nine were no longer permitted to work. The Ten Hour Act of 1847 reduced the working hours of children and women to 10 hours per day. The Mines Act of 1.842 banned women and children under 13 to be employed underground. Bibliografía de la task 5: http://www.nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/time/victorian/vindust.html http://www.victorianweb.org/history/hist8.html http://www.mimersbrunn.se/Child_labor_during_the_industrial_revolution_6503.htm