Summary on Social change

Summary on Social change

• At the end of the 1700's the old social order was changing and being challenged.
• As industrialisation occurred the traditional bonds of society were disturbed and a new society was created which started to question the wealth and privileges of the old order. 
• Urban development brought prosperity for the newly emerging middle class and problems for the working population and caused deep divisions in society.
• In the rural areas the principal landowner remained in control and little changed.
• Agricultural labourers were poorly paid and had poor living conditions.
• There are differing views whether or not working conditions for ordinary people worsened with industrialisation. 
• Historians debate whether or not standard of living rose following mechanisation of industry. 
• The economic disruption caused by the war were led to a stagnation of average real wages and caused hardship for the labouring classes.
• Industrial dispute became increasingly common during the years before the Combination Acts.
• Trade societies started to make their organisations more efficient and more powerful.
• The Combination Acts made all associations of working men illegal.
• It was clear that the establishment supported capitalist interests, rather than those of the working population.

The social divisions among the working class and argicultural labourers

While much of the upper and middle class was benefiting from this expanding capitalist economy the working population suffered. One of the disadvantage things for the working class was there lack of political rights which meant that radical new ideas that came out of this period which questioned the privilege and the monopoly of the political power of the ruling class would take time to be put into action.  The rich landowners carried on to control the political, economic and social activity in the rural areas. If anything new improvements in agriculture like enclosures and excavation of deposits of iron ore and coal made them even more rich than before, Below these people were the tenant farmers who came fewer in number but were more prosperous than before and gained more power. 

Some would say that the people that suffered the most from industrialisation was the argicultural labourers. They were the majority of the rural population and they had lower wages than the people in the city they resented the tenant farmers who forced them to pay high rents and that the restrictive Game Laws prevented them from hunting to feed themselves. The Speenhamland System of poor relief  had to be put in place. This was first put in place in 1795 which was the supplement of wages according to the price of bread and the size of the family. This failed as it became an unacceptable burden due to increasing population and rapid industrialisation. 

The Working conditions

Even though these workers had higher pay they still worked in in poor conditions. For example in cotton mills it was needed to keep a humid temperature to prevent the threads from snapping and so there was little ventilation. This lead to workers that were prone to lung infections. There was regulations for the machines so there was many accidents at work. The machines worked for 24 hours a day and workers were on 12 hour shifts working 6 days of the week with 20 percent of the work force as children as they were cheaper than adults. An example of some factories treated their workers better was  the New Lanark Mills.- 

The new Lanark Mills was built by David Dale in Scotland with many of his workers were children. They werre treated well for those days they were fed and clothed and were taught to read and write and were given physical exercise. |In other Mills many children died from diease but not at New Lanark and the children had good behaviour. Out of the 3,000 children that worked between 1785 and 1797 only 14 had died. In 1800 Dale's son-in-law took over the business and had it an even better place to live and work. 

The standard of living debate

Social historian like E.J Hobsbawm rake the pessimist view that the poor living and working conditions of industrial towns negated any positive effect of the rise in wages. Skilled workers did well in some areas not so well in other areas. The Handloom weavers began to suffer after the introducion of Cartwright's power loom in the mills. Hobsbawm factor in the loss of  gentle rural life compared to the harsh factory system. 

The impact of war on standard of living

The wars with Franc ecaused stagnation of real wages and caused hardship. In the years of 1795-96 and 1799-1800 there was a series of bad harvests ans it was difficult to import corn from Europe. For example the price of grain a quarter was roughly £2.70 between 1811 and 1814 it was £4.70. Wages were not rising at the same rate as prices and there was increased taxation between 1793 and 1815 with the income tax being brought in in 1798. This lead to the combination Acts of 1799 and 1800 which made all associations of working men illegal. It also It also outlawed workers gathering together and bargin for better wages. Breaking this law would be dealt with by a Magistrate without recourse to trial by a judge. This was in reaction to the French Revolution and to stop people rising up.