The Effects of the Industrial Revolution on the Industrial Proletariat

Industrial Revolution in Britain

• The Industrial Revolution has been very controversial in relation to its time period and occurrence in Britain; however, regardless of when or if it happened, something occurred that developed a need for working classes and a class of people to rule those laboring classes.

Britain’s New Class Structure

• Introduced to Britain were new classes of workers, the industrial proletariats, and a new class of rulers,

the industrial entrepreneurs.

New Classes

• These new classes have been discussed in works of David Cannadine, E.P. Thompson, Frederick Engels, and Charles Booth.

Booth Poverty Map

“Hard Times” by Charles Dickens

• Dickens’ “Hard Times” discussed the mechanization of human beings which can be seen through out the book from Gradgrind’s children to the ‘Hands’.

Inequalities Develop• The Industrial

Revolution developed inequalities in areas such as living locations, wealth, and working conditions that further divided and also dehumanized society.

England Switching From an Individualistic Hierarchy

• Britain developed a more dichotomous structure between the ‘haves’, the bourgeoisie which were replacing the landed aristocrats, and the lower working classes which were referred to as the ‘have nots’.

Summary• The adoption of a utilitarian system of ethics

combined with the industrialization of Britain led to exploited, mechanized working classes that were too fragmented to produce a change in harsh working conditions and overcome the power held by the new bourgeoisie.