Some areas of the north had industrialized there had been a lack of reform and investment. Workers in the urbanized cities, like the rural poor, had a low standard of living due to low wages, long hours, unregulated working conditions, poor housing, and limited or no welfare provision.
The environment in the industrialized areas led to the growth of trade unionism. However, the unions’ main tool to gain concessions from employers – strike action – was blunted by the migration of unemployed seasonal workers from the countryside.
The unions were also divided between anarchist and socialist groups. The urban workers’ political parties had no political power. Thus, with no legal means of affecting change, elements of the working classes looked to violent upheaval and revolution to improve their situation.