Hand Labour and Steam Power
Pace of Industrial Change
Most dynamic industries in Britain were cotton and iron and steel
Cotton was leading sector up to 1840's
With expansion of railways in England in 1840's and in colonies in 1860's, demand for Iron & steel ⬆
1873- Britain exported I&S worth 77 mil pounds
New industries couldn't easily displace traditional industries
Ordinary small scale inventions were basis of growth in non-mechanised sectors like building, pottery, glass work, tanning,etc
Technological changes occurred slowly
James Watt improved steam engine by Newcomen in 1781, but no buyers
No more than 321 steam engines over England
Labour
Victorian Britain had no shortage of human labour
Industrialasts did not want new machines as they got rid of human labour
Demand for labour was often seasonal
Gas works and breweries busy during ❄months
Industrialists preferred hand labour, employing workers for season
Machines produced standardised goods for mass market
But, demand in market was for goods with intricate designs & specific shapes
Life of Workers
Hundreds of ppl came to cities in search of jobs
Actual possibility of getting a job depended upon network of friends and relations
Many job-seekers spent nights under bridges, or in night shelters
Some stayed in Night Refuges set up by pvt indis, or in Casual Wards maintained by Poor Law Authorities
After busy season, poor were on streets, or some went to rural areas when labour demand opened up
Spinning Jenny
Invented by James Hargreaves in 1764
Speeded up spinning process and reduced labour demand
Women who survived on hand spinning began attacking the new machines
After 1840's, building intensified in the cities, so employment grew
Roads were widened, new railway stations were set up, no. of workers in transportation industry doubled