Chapter Four Flashcards
Why was the traditional class structure of the monarch and aristocracy in power over the rest o the population changing and becoming less relevant?
Due to rapid developments in trade and industry. Industrialisation resulted in the shift of the population to the growing urban centres, disturbing bonds which existed for centuries, creating new social divisions. Also due to the growth in population.
What was the effect of Industrialisation on those with a middle class outlook?
Brought extensive opportunities for those entrepreneurial men to invest and grow new businesses and increase their wealth. They soon began to question the wealth and authority of the old order.
Who were the middle classes?
Successful manufacturers and the professional class e.g lawyers and factory owners. By 1800 they made up 25% of the population.
Who were the working classes?
The majority of the population in urban centres, whom were mostly employed in the new factories and relied on the middle classes for their job and wage and only received a regular wage in times of economic prosperity.
What disadvantages did the middle and working classes share?
Lack of political rights, leading to disturbances and demands for reforms. They both began to question the privilege and monopoly of the political power of the ruling class.
What was the situation regarding the changing class structure in the countryside?
The landowning classes continued to control the political, economic, and social activity. They had been made wealthier by enclosure, agricultural improvements and excavation of mineral deposits (iron ore and coal) on the land. Landowners, tenant farmers, and then the yeoman class, small farmers and victims of enclosure.
What view do most Historians take regarding the change in working conditions?
Adaption to the new, rigid regime was necessary. It lacked the freedom and flexibility of domestic enterprises or working on the land. The higher wages in factories than in the old domestic system helped.
What were the risks in factories?
No safety regulations, machines had no safety guards, high risk of fire since early machines had wooden frames. Cotton mills had little ventilation because it was necessary to maintain a humid temperature so workers were prone to lung infections.
Who made up most of the workforce in cotton factories and for what reason?
Women and children because they were cheaper to pay than men and easier to discipline. At least 20% of total workforce were children, sometimes as young as six. Although, this was the same in the old domestic system and the land, where the hours were just as long.
What was an exception to the grim factories?
New Lanark Mills in Scotland started by David Dale in 1784.
What does Asa Briggs point out that the factories did?
Shone a spotlight on the problem of child labour, at a time when the number of children in the population was rising rapidly.
What do statistics show happened to the output of the manufacturing industry?
There was an increase in output even when measured against the rise in population, suggesting there was greater availability of goods, and with new farming methods there was more food production.
What do Historians conclude regarding the impossibility of the standard of living debate?
Fluctuations in wages, prices and unemployment around the country make it hard to see, poor living and working conditions in the industrial towns negated any positive effect of the rise in wages and the loss of gentle pace of rural life compared with harsh inflexible factory system.
What did the price of grain reach in 1812?
Its peak of £6.30. This dramatically increased the price of bread, which was the staple food for most working classes.
When did taxation increase?
Between 1783-1815. It was a burden to the poorer classes where it was raised on consumer goods, but in 1798, a tax on incomes was introduced for the first time, unpopular among the wealthier classes.
