The Effects of Industrialization

Child labor existed at this time not because people had worse morals than they do today, but because most people weren't aware of the physical and mental exertion put on children in the factories. Previously, children worked on their family's farm, where the treatment of the children was evident to the entire family and community. But in factories and coal mines, the owners and supervisors often overworked the laborers and lied about their treatment to the public. They preferred children for their tiny fingers and cheaper price. Families needed their children to work for the extra wages that could go toward the rent.
The public, for a long time, had no way of knowing what happened to children inside the factories. When the abuse became more well-known, humanists and activists headed a commission to "find the truth and protect the youth" (thank angelica for that one). The commission was successful in that it banned women and children under 12 from working in the factories and mines.


The issues that the factory workers faced can be considered a failure of the ideas of liberalism.  Liberalism pushed for an end to government interference in all economic affairs. But when factories and mines were not monitored by the government, they abused their power and exploited both children and adults. The best solution would be a happy medium with the government only interfering to prohibit illegal and wrongful actions committed by big companies.
There is such a thing as positive and negative liberty. Should people have freedom from or freedom to do something. For example, should a person have freedom from big companies'  labor abuse or the freedom to work for whatever company they choose.

Was there any room for liberalism in Paris? No, because in Parisian urban society, people were able to live in freedom but still be able to adapt to the changing circumstances linked to industrialization. There was also more of a chance to move up the social ladder in the post-industrial society- more jobs were created that separated the small elite class and the large laboring poor. The major downturn of industrialization in Paris was poo. Because of the lack of transportation and the government's inability to react quickly enough to the changing atmosphere, the poo piled up. Poo.

Despite there being more opportunities for work in the urban environment, the upper class continued to make the highest percentage of money. The poorest 80% (working classes) received less income altogether than the two richest classes combined.

The Factory Act and the Mines Act both protected the businessman over the worker. But the next big act from government was the Combination Act, which protected the worker over the businessman. These almost-contradictory set of acts represents the government's new need to pay more attention to what the people wanted after the voting population expanded in England. The government had to pay more attention to the needs of the majority instead of to those of the elite few.