Industrialisation politicised the Working Class to What Extent
Industrialisation and its consequences politicised the working class in the first half of the 19th century. How true is this statement?
Britain was the first nation to industrialise. Industrialisation is “change from an economy based on agriculture to one based on industry and commerce”. Allen Clarke suggested industrialisation happened because “capitalists saw that fortunes were to be made more quickly in manufacture than in agriculture”. It appears agriculture lost the investors attention, despite the fact that “from 1760 to 1834 nearly seven million acres of waste land were reclaimed”. This waste land was exploited primarily for industrial purposes. Some historians argue that industrialisation and its consequences politicised the working class. Politicised means becoming politically active, and having a proper political agenda. This essay will discuss how true the theory is, with first wave industrialism in Britain up until 1850 being the focus. By 1800 Britain was experiencing mass economic growth, in turn creating enough income to sustain that growth. Industrial growth was concentrated in coal-rich areas such as the North-East, Midlands, Lancashire, the West Riding, and South Wales. Symbiotic with industrialisation was urbanisation. Thousands migrated to these areas, hoping for regular work with regular wages. This shift towards industry had many varied consequences. Consequences here mean the results of industrialisation. The government at this time reaped rewards from the industriousness classes, but took little responsibility for the welfare of those people, “central government still assumed few responsibilities beyond the defence of the realm”. Political restrictions on working and middle classes meant that neither group had political representation, and therefore had no means of voicing concerns. This hierarchy was considered outdated by democrat Thomas Paine, whose book The Rights of Man, was published in 1791-2, outlining ideas for
Britain was the first nation to industrialise. Industrialisation is “change from an economy based on agriculture to one based on industry and commerce”. Allen Clarke suggested industrialisation happened because “capitalists saw that fortunes were to be made more quickly in manufacture than in agriculture”. It appears agriculture lost the investors attention, despite the fact that “from 1760 to 1834 nearly seven million acres of waste land were reclaimed”. This waste land was exploited primarily for industrial purposes. Some historians argue that industrialisation and its consequences politicised the working class. Politicised means becoming politically active, and having a proper political agenda. This essay will discuss how true the theory is, with first wave industrialism in Britain up until 1850 being the focus. By 1800 Britain was experiencing mass economic growth, in turn creating enough income to sustain that growth. Industrial growth was concentrated in coal-rich areas such as the North-East, Midlands, Lancashire, the West Riding, and South Wales. Symbiotic with industrialisation was urbanisation. Thousands migrated to these areas, hoping for regular work with regular wages. This shift towards industry had many varied consequences. Consequences here mean the results of industrialisation. The government at this time reaped rewards from the industriousness classes, but took little responsibility for the welfare of those people, “central government still assumed few responsibilities beyond the defence of the realm”. Political restrictions on working and middle classes meant that neither group had political representation, and therefore had no means of voicing concerns. This hierarchy was considered outdated by democrat Thomas Paine, whose book The Rights of Man, was published in 1791-2, outlining ideas for