Industrial Revolution

Quickly spreading from Britain to throughout the World at the beginning of the eighteenth century was a period of steam and new inventions which created many opportunities that were not present before this time. An economy that was previously worked in all aspects by hand was now turning to technologies that used iron and steel to produce necessary items faster and more efficient than ever before. This period and these technologies caused a dramatic increase in the population in the major cities of Britain, a clash between the different classes of citizens, a new realization of pollution, and extreme work conditions made a new experience for all in Britain. The Industrial Revolution was the toughest period of time in people's lives in Britain.

The first segment of the Industrial Revolution was the step that made this era known as the "Machine Age" and it involved the production cotton. This advancement of the "Machine Age" was meant to help people that were tediously using their hands for separating the cotton fiber from the seeds of the branch to create thread. By eighteen-twenty the steam powered looms sped up the spinning process of thread resulting in an increase of product produced by the textile factories. Due to the high amount of output that the steam powered looms were producing the factories were able to get five or six bales of thread a day. Before this time the small handloom weaver was the only way that the thread was produced but the advancement in the "Machine Age" no longer needed efficient leading to handloom weavers becoming obsolete. Weavers that worked at home were no longer able to compete with the factories so people decided to go work in the cities that were involved in the "Machine Age".

As the population of rural Britain was decreasing the population of the urban cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Glasgow were booming with people interested in getting a job. With the increase in population the cities became cramped and people were exposed to harsh, dirty conditions. Sometimes several families would be living in a single room or tens of thousands of people were living in dark damp cellars. One of the major problems in the cities was a lack of sanitation control resulting in a streets lined with trash, horrid smells, and contamination of fresh water. During this period there was also an increase in outbreaks of diseases such as typhoid, and cholera that infected many people and with the cramped conditions of the cities contagion of the diseases were impossible to avoid. Unfortunately the conditions at home were not the only problems families had to deal with because the conditions at work were just as bad if not worse.

Britain was enduring mass profits off of these booming business's of the "Machine Age" which was expanding, but the poor were not receiving much of the benefits especially at work were the conditions