Britain continued to industrialize rapidly in the 19th century. Great advances took place in the cotton, coal and iron industries. The great boom was in railroad construction in the 1840s.
The Industrial Revolution created great wealth. It gave work to the massively increased population. The emergence of a large industrial and urban working class and a rich and confident middle class was bound to cause tensions and change in 19lh c. society. Unions were organized, but they collapsed after a short period of time. The shocking condition of life of so many people provoked a response.
The 19th century saw the gradual reform of factories and mines and the reordering of town life. Both during the wars with France (which ended in 1815) and afterwards there was acute social tension. The authorities were fearful that revolutionary order would be established, as in France. A great assembly of people assembled in 1819 outside Manchester to hear the radical politician Henry Hunt speak in favour of parliamentary reform. The crowd was peaceful, but the army moved in and hundreds were injured. The incident, known as Peterlov, became a milestone in world history. Working-class protest was widespread but disorganized.
The Tory Government which was in power until 1830 pursued major reforms in the criminal law and the Home Secretary, Robert Peel, established the first police force in 1829. The most important legislation came in the late 20ies which enabled Protestant Nonconformists and Roman Catholics to hold office, they could become M.P.s
The Reform Bill was passed in 1832 after Whigs were returned. It gave the middle class the vote. It was in fact the first step on the road to democracy, though the member of new voters was relatively small.
A Factory Act passed in 1833 imposed limits on the hours worked by children.
In 1842 a Mines Act forbade the employment underground of women and of boys under 10.
By 1850 there had been further reforms and by mid-century many factories had, for the first time, introduced a Saturday half-day for their work force.
Town government in England, Wales and Scotland was overhauled in 1833, with the creation of new boroughs governed by municipal councils which were elected by local taxpayers.
In 1833 money was given to 2 religious societies (Anglican and Nonconformist) to promote education. England was slow to take a serious interest in providing state education (compulsory education did not arrive until 1870). England compares badly with Scotland and some Continental countries.
An important reform of the century was the abolition of slavery in 1833.
The 1840s, a decade of uncertain harvests and sporadic economic recession was dominated by the Chartist movement backed by the working-class and the Repeal of the com Laws supported by the middle class, which sought to repeal the Corn-Laws, the measures which protected home agriculture from the import of cheap corn, but landowners were convinced that it would bring their ruin.
The stronghold of Chartism lay in the industrial North, but its origin was among the thoughtful artisans of London. The London Working-Men's Association was formed in June 1836 as a political and educational body intended to attract the intelligent and influential portion of the working classes. In February 1837 it drew up a petition to Parliament in which were embodied 6 demands, that afterwards became known as the People's Charter. The movement wished to secure 1) universal manhood suffrage, 2) annual Parliaments 3) voting by ballot, 4) equal constituences, 5) no property qualifications for MPs and 6) the payment to MPs, so that working-class men could go to Westminster. In the spring of 1838 the 6 Points were drafted into the form of a Parliamentary Bill, and this Bill became the actual charter of history.
As the movement spread beyond London its character changed and sharp divisions arose among its leaders. 3 groups might be distinguished. The right wing was composed of Lovett and his London follower; the different group led by Attwood, a banker from Birmingham, was mainly concerned with the purely political aspects of the chartist agitation. Then there was a vast center, grouped round O'Connor, whose conception of the better life was that of the independent producer. Much less definite was the left wing, headed by O'Brien and later Harney and Jones. O'Brien was influenced by the socialist and co-operative ideas of Owen, and he went far beyond Owen in his understanding of the class struggle. His ability as a theoretician earned for him the title of the Chartist Schoolmaster.
The workers were able by 1838 to appear as an independent force.
The Chartists held mass meetings and collected petitions to present to Parliament. But the mass meetings did not intimidate the authorities and parliament would only accept the last of the petitions (there were 3 in all). It refused to meet the Chartists' demands. However, the demands were met gradually, on the initiative of MPs themselves and not as a consequence of pressure from without.
The Anti-Com Law League was successful. It was founded in 1838. The League raised large sums of money to finance a campaign to secure public support. They built the Free Trade Hall in Manchester as a meeting place for their movement, it ran its own newspaper and founded its own magazine, the celebrated Economist, in 1843. In 1846 the Repeal was carried, thanks to the then prime minister Sir Robert Peel.
Social life
At first the industrial revolution did cause much suffering to some people. However in the end it made a much higher standard of living possible for ordinary people. In the 18th century when goods were made by hand they were scarce and therefore expensive. Machines meant that goods could be mass produced and so they became much cheaper.
It is true that in the early 19th century many people worked very long hours and they lived in appalling conditions in overcrowded towns. However by the late 19th century housing for most people was better than in the 18th century.
People were also better fed. Inventions like trains and steamships made it possible to import cheap food from abroad, wheat from North America and meat from Australia and New Zealand. For thousands of years bread was the staple diet of ordinary people. The poor lived mainly on bread. By the end of the century bread was ceasing to be the 'staff of life' and most people were eating a varied diet.
Furthermore a host of inventions made life more comfortable and convenient. Railways made travel much faster. Waterproof clothing also made life more comfortable. So did anesthetics. Furthermore today we take street lighting for granted but in the 19th century gas street lights made going out at night much easier and safer.
We also take photography for granted but people in the 19th century thought it was wonderful. For the first time ordinary people could have pictures of their loved ones to remember them by if they lived far away.
It is true that poverty was common in the 19th century but things had always been that way. A large part of the population lived at subsistence level - or below it but that was nothing new.
The Reform Bill was passed in 1832
A Factory Act passed in 1833
An important reform of the century was the abolition of slavery in 1833
The London Working-Men's Association was formed in June 1836
The Anti-Com Law League was founded in 1838
In 1846 the Repeal was carried
