Changing Class Structure
This was good because it evened out social classes
A new class is created
Before the Industrial Revolution, the middle class was very small and made up mostly of farmers. When the industrial age hit, class structure changed dramatically. An entirely new social class was created- the industrial capitalists. These people were wealthy factor owners. Paying factory workers low wages and not providing much to house them allowed for this class to have superfluous funds.
Urbanization
As more factories were built, more workers were needed to keep them full and productive. Tons of people rushed to the cities- men, women, and children- to get factory jobs. The middle (working) class grew to ridiculous numbers, becoming the largest of the 3 social classes. Between 1750 and 1900, the British population zoomed from approx. 9 million to 35 million people!
Improving working conditions
Factory workers were provided tenements, which were basically tiny, one room apartments. 1 or 2 families could be packed into one of these itsy bitsy rooms. Wages were incredibly low. Some children as young as 5 years old were paid to pennies a day for a 12 hour work day. Families needed every last penny they could get to keep from starving. Laws were later passed to keep children out of work ad pay men and women higher wages. Homes were still crowded, but they were livable.