The Industrial Revolution in Victorian England had a profound impact on society. It brought significant advancements in inventions and technology, greatly influencing people’s way of life and work patterns. Communication methods, manufacturing techniques, and transportation all experienced major improvements during this era. The steam engine was one of the most revolutionary inventions. It completely transformed both the movement of goods and people, allowing manufacturers to transport their products quickly and efficiently through railways, resulting in cost reductions. Railroads also enabled individuals to travel faster and over longer distances compared to previous modes of transportation.
The Industrial Revolution brought about fresh employment opportunities, as mills and factories enticed laborers from rural areas to urban centers (Victorian Web). This manufacturing growth not only generated new jobs, but also led to pollution and overcrowding in cities housing these factories. The introduction of Morse Code by Samuel Morse in 1837 facilitated swift communication for soldiers, enabling them to amend their battle strategies accordingly. The advent of the typewriter revolutionized education, making textbooks accessible to a larger student body and enabling professors to create their own written materials.
The introduction of the steam engine brought about a major change in manufacturing, leading to the establishment of new factories. Simultaneously, pasteurization played a crucial role in ensuring food safety by eliminating harmful bacteria. These innovations had a profound impact on multiple facets of Victorian England, including living and working conditions, transportation systems, educational opportunities, and overall welfare. Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901 characterized this period as one of remarkable prosperity for England.
According to Sakolsky, she played a crucial role in propelling England into the Industrial Revolution, a period of technological and manufacturing advancements deemed as the most significant transformation in human history. Previously, manufacturers encountered challenges in producing goods rapidly and affordably. Nevertheless, with the introduction of revolutionary technologies such as the steam engine, factories were able to employ machines that could replace human workers. These machines proved to be more efficient and cost-effective for manufacturing products.
The change resulted in increased profits for factory owners. Alongside the growth of factories, there was a shift in the labor force as individuals migrated from farms to urban areas in search of manufacturing jobs and higher wages. In Victorian England, there was rapid population growth, leading to an increase in the production of goods and services to meet rising demands. According to Brown (34), England’s population during the ‘long’ eighteenth century grew by 133 percent between 1680 and 1820. Additionally, life expectancy increased from 32 years to 39 years during the eighteenth century, representing a slight over 20 percent increase.
The increase in population necessitated advancements to support a subsequent generation. One factor contributing to the significant population growth was the Great Potato Famine in Ireland, during which the main food source for the Irish, potatoes, became infected leading to widespread starvation. Consequently, numerous Irish immigrants relocated to England. The establishment of new “manufactories” was imperative for the production of manufactured goods. “Manufactories” served as an early term for factories, with manufacturing originally signifying the act of creating by hand despite the involvement of machines (Outman 7).
As new mills and factories were constructed, they required a workforce. Individuals relocated in search of employment and had to find housing in close proximity to their employer after being hired. As a result, large cities began to emerge near these factories. Due to the steady increase in population and the growing number of factory workers, innovative housing concepts became necessary. This led to the creation of row houses. Row houses were tall, narrow structures where the walls of one house adjoined the next. These homes were squeezed in between factories, often small and lacking in natural light, and typically lacking amenities such as running water or electricity (Wroble 6).
Tenement homes, also known as row houses, were another type of housing built near factories. These homes consisted of multiple row houses stacked on top of each other (Wroble 6). People chose to live in these row houses and tenements because they were inexpensive and provided proximity to their workplaces. The workers’ day at the mill would begin with a whistle at five AM, signaling the start of a 12-hour workday (Wroble 21). According to Van Dulken (2), inventions were just one aspect of life in Victorian times, but they added a distinct colorfulness to society. As factories and populations grew, new inventions sprouted up everywhere.
England and the United States, despite their different origins, both had inventions that had a global impact. People sought ways to enhance their lives and increase productivity, leading to an exponential increase in new inventions. To safeguard these ideas from plagiarism or theft, the patent system was established. A patent, obtained through a document, offered protection against others attempting to appropriate and claim the ideas and intellectual property as their own.
Acquiring a patent granted the recipient exclusive rights to manufacture products utilizing the invention, preventing others from claiming it as their own. Violating a patent could result in arrest or being sued in court by the original creator. However, if permission was obtained from the inventor, one could utilize their ideas, usually in exchange for a portion of the profits. Initially lasting for seven months, patents were extended to twelve months in 1902 (Van Dulken 3).
Only wealthy citizens could afford patents, leaving the poor and lower class unable to obtain credit for their inventions. This inequality in resources meant that some of today’s innovations failed to acknowledge their true inventors. As one of the era’s most prominent inventors, Thomas Edison famously said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration” (Van Dulken 2). Born in Milan, Ohio, Edison’s inventions had a significant impact on Victorian England despite his American origins. Throughout his lifetime, Edison created an impressive 1093 different inventions.
Although not all of them had practical uses, Thomas Edison had a greater number of ideas than any other inventor in his time. Most of his ideas were based on reading and expanding on other people’s patents. Edison’s inventions encompassed various fields including telegraphy, telephones, electric lights, batteries, phonographs, cement, mining, and more. All these inventions greatly shaped the world (Van Dulken 7). While many believed that Thomas Edison was responsible for inventing the electric light bulb, it was actually Joseph Wilson Swan who invented it on December 18th, 1878.
Despite Swan’s failure to submit a patent in Great Britain and Edison’s attempt to patent his already patented light bulb in England, the two decided to join forces and create the Edison and Swan United Electric Company. Together, they worked on improving their respective light bulb models and successfully developed an enhanced version. To keep up with the growing demand, German glass blowers were enlisted to produce the bulb casings.
New factories for glass blowing and manufacturing light bulbs were established throughout England, leading to the emergence of neighborhoods influenced by German immigrants who brought their culture and traditions. The invention of the light bulb provided an alternative to candles, windows, and fireplaces for lighting homes. This increased demand for electricity to power these light bulbs necessitated the construction of power lines across England, creating job opportunities for migrating citizens. During Queen Victoria’s reign, the existence of various social classes or “castes” led to inequalities in power, authority, wealth, living conditions, life expectancy, education, religion, and culture (Outman 71) (Victorian Web). The upper class in England comprised nobles and affluent business owners who generally did not engage in manual labor and had numerous servants. They resided in large residences and held significant control over the country’s government. The Industrial Revolution generated immense wealth for mine and factory owners who benefitted from the enhanced productivity facilitated by new technologies.
According to Sakolsky (59), factory workers had to endure extended work hours while receiving meager pay. Conversely, the middle class encompassed lawyers, doctors, and successful traders who enjoyed both servants and comfortable residences. Nonetheless, a notable disparity existed between the middle class and the impoverished individuals. The destitute in England consisted of factory workers and farmers who earned minimal wages and resided in diminutive homes or on the streets. Within impoverished households, each member was obliged to engage in at least one job for mere survival.
In England, families who couldn’t pay their debts were sent to debtor’s prison until the debt was fully repaid (Victorian Web). The impoverished individuals in England faced hardships. As the demand for factory workers grew and the desire for more income to buy new products increased, families took on more jobs and included more family members in the workforce. Since there were no regulations restricting who could work certain jobs or for how long, the situation became uncontrollable. People worked overly long hours doing physically demanding tasks and received low wages.
It was challenging for many individuals to earn a sufficient income. The factories demanded increased productivity from their employees, which the workers found to be oppressive (Outman 15). In this period, child labor became prevalent. Young children were employed in mills and factories, working the same long hours as older workers but performing more hazardous tasks and receiving significantly lower wages. One common duty assigned to children was crawling into machinery to remove obstructions that caused malfunctions.
Because children were small in size, they were well-suited for jobs that involved handling numerous small parts. However, working in factories and buildings exposed them to hazardous air quality. These jobs were not only dangerous for children but also for other workers. The consequences of these jobs were severe, ranging from limb loss and illness to death. Nevertheless, change was imminent. The Factory Act of 1833 prohibited children under the age of nine from working in textile factories. In addition, children aged nine to thirteen were limited to working nine hours a day and forty-eight hours a week, as stated by “The National Archives Learning Curve”.
Even with the change in Britain’s legislation, enforcing the Factory Act was difficult. In order to address this issue in 1836, England and Wales implemented ‘The registration of births, deaths and marriages’. This allowed factory inspectors to verify the age of children working in factories (The National Archives Learning Curve).
In addition to the risks faced by Victorian workers in factories, working in coal mines posed another dangerous job. Initially, mines were relatively safe as farmers would dig small and shallow mines near the surface. However, as coal production declined, miners had to dig deeper. A significant advancement in mining technology occurred in 1781 with the introduction of a rotary engine. This engine facilitated the transportation of miners up and down mine shafts and pumped water in and out of the mine (The National Archives Learning Curve).
As the mines grew deeper, safety hazards arose due to the accumulation of gas pockets. This gas was highly toxic and potentially fatal if workers were exposed to it for long periods of time. Its high flammability and easy ignition made it particularly dangerous. Mining explosions not only claimed lives but also led to cave-ins at times.
James Bundle developed an exhaust system in 1794 for removing stale air and toxic gas from mines. In 1815, Sir Humphrey Davy created the miner safety lamp, which was a significant improvement in terms of mine safety. Prior to the invention of these lamps, miners relied on candles for lighting, which was perilous due to the presence of dangerous gases. Moreover, young boys working in the mines were experiencing higher injury and mortality rates compared to adults. These boys worked as coal-loading porters (Outman 129).
In 1842, the Mines Act was passed in England, changing the conditions for children working in mines. This act prohibited boys under ten and girls and women from working underground, as well as boys under fifteen from operating machinery. Previously, hazardous conditions and dangerous machinery were a common occurrence. However, with the passing of this act, progress was made in the economy. England was now able to produce goods and materials and had colonies that provided raw materials. However, there was a need for a new way to ship goods and find new markets. To address this, trading posts were established where manufacturers could trade for exotic goods from around the world. To ensure efficient transportation of these goods, new ships called clippers were built. Clippers were capable of transporting goods quickly over long distances.
During the Victorian era in England, cities faced severe pollution caused by the use of coal and oil in factories and mines. This issue was particularly concentrated around major cities that had a high number of factories. Furthermore, the population was rapidly increasing, which added to the concerns. Alongside these problems, Victorian England also struggled with its sewer systems. The severity of this issue became evident in 1858 when the River Thames became so polluted that Parliament had to stop its meetings due to the foul odor. These challenges related to air pollution, overpopulation, and sewage made life extremely difficult for residents in England. As a result, diseases spread quickly, leading to a death toll of 55,000 people during four cholera outbreaks between 1831 and 1866. To address these issues, three Heath Acts were implemented by the government. The first act introduced in 1848 established a general Board of Health in London as well as local boards of health. Following this act, the second one passed in 1872 led to the creation of sanitary authorities and appointment of a Medical Officer of Health.
The Public Heath Act of 1875 marked a key milestone in the improvement of public health in Victorian Britain. It introduced local boards of health and required the appointment of health and sanitary inspectors, essential steps towards enhancing public health. Nonetheless, further progress was needed to tackle the difficult work conditions and low quality of city living during that period. Despite these challenges, families were able to find happiness in their family life. The era witnessed advancements in technology and the modernization of various locations, offering families chances to partake in activities that strengthened familial ties and provided a break from work.
There were numerous activities for residents to enjoy in their free time. These included going on a rail excursion organized by Thomas Cook or attending a football game. England now offered a wider range of leisure options than ever before. Thomas Cook pondered the idea of people using trains instead of walking everywhere and asked himself, “What if people were to take trains places?” He then developed the concept of offering paid excursions to faraway locations or even other countries. Some may have assumed that only the wealthy could afford such trips, but Cook made them affordable for the average person, charging just one shilling per mile per person (Church History and Timeline).
The trains of the new railroad system enabled travel to various destinations, including France, Germany, and even Egypt. A crucial factor in making this possible was the construction of King Cross Station in London. This provided families with an opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves on Sundays, their day off. Moreover, it allowed them to engage in a wider range of activities. As a result of these advancements, new games were developed to provide children with more entertainment and to contrast their working environment. Among these games was the economical hoop and stick, which was popular among impoverished children.
The Victorian era brought about various recreational activities for children to engage in. One popular game involved using a hoop, which children would run alongside and try to keep rolling by using a stick. Another activity enjoyed by children was the first modern jump rope, also known as the skipper. Lastly, marbles were a beloved pastime among children, with almost every child having their own set and playing various entertaining games with them.
Religion held significant importance during the Victorian era, resulting in friction and conflicts between different religious groups. England witnessed the presence of various religious denominations, leading to disagreements and disputes among these groups.
The two primary factions were Christian and Protestant, and they held contrasting beliefs, leading to tension between them. Moreover, new individuals emerged who published scientific works aiming to disprove the existence of God, worsening the already existing disagreements and issues among Christians and Protestants. One prominent theory was known as Darwinism, which was introduced by Charles Darwin in his book “The Origin of Species and the Descent of Man” (Victorian Web). Another belief that emerged during this period was Social Darwinism.
During this time, the belief was that the wealthy people were prosperous because they had followed God’s commands, while the poor were suffering as a punishment for their wrongdoing. Numerous significant pieces of literature were produced, particularly in England, where influential writers emerged and wrote stories featuring characters who reflected their own experiences growing up as impoverished members of the lower class. Charles Dickens was one such renowned writer, whose stories resonated with the lower class citizens and factory workers of that era, contributing to his immense popularity and high book sales.
According to the Victorian Web, some of the stories that he fabricated were “A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist and Great Expectations.” The literature produced during the Victorian Period was influenced by new ideas on science, economics, and religion. These books had a profound impact on the people living in the Victorian Age. It became easier for individuals to learn about new things as books became more easily accessible. The revolution that engulfed England from the 1800s to the 1900s led to remarkable wonders and creations that shaped the future of the world.
During the reign of Queen Victoria, known as the Victorian era, significant transformations took place in England that impacted various aspects of life. These changes encompassed advancements in education, employment opportunities, and social interactions. However, they also led to increased labor intensity and more challenging working conditions. The revolutionary inventions and societal shifts that surfaced during this period significantly influenced work dynamics, lifestyles, and even social standings. As the population expanded and production escalated in England, Victorian society witnessed the introduction of novel factory types and industries. Consequently, new legislations were enacted to establish mandatory standards and regulations.
During this time, there was a population shift as people sought employment in order to contribute to the advancements of the era. Society became divided into different classes, namely the lower class, middle class, and upper class. Each social class was associated with specific roles and responsibilities. The lower class was comprised of individuals from poor families who worked in factories. The middle class included professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and traders. The upper class consisted of nobles who owned factories and held government positions. While people experienced stress in their factory jobs, they made efforts to find happiness and maintain a positive attitude in their family lives.
With all the information that is available it is safe to say that this time is a large part in how today’s world was shaped. Just as Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said “Change is inevitable. In a progressive country change is constant”(Smith 72). This quote reflects truly what happened in England. It says that England was bound to become a greater nation and that nothing could stop it. This time period was truly interesting and was one of the most defining periods in the history of the world. With the rule of Queen Victoria, England became one of the leading economic nations of that time period and was a force not to be taken lightly.
Works Cited
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“Modern Tourism Begun by Baptist Thomas Cook – Church History and Timeline – Christianity.com.” Christianity – Faith in God and Jesus Christ – Christianity.com. Web. 13 Mar. 2011.
“The National Archives Learning Curve | Victorian Britain | Main Menu.” The National Archives. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.
Outman, James L., Elisabeth M. Outman, and Matthew May. Industrial Revolution. Detroit: UXL, 2003. Print.
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New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2005. Print.
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Van, Dulken Stephen. Inventing the 19th Century: 100 Inventions That Shaped the Victorian Age from Aspirin to the Zeppelin. New York: New York UP, 2001. Print.
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Weightman, Gavin. The Industrial Revolutionaries: the Making of the Modern World, 1776-1914. New York: Grove, 2007. Print.
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