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Interpersonal Relations in British Society

Industrial Revolution changed the way of the whole history, especially in the working environment. People did not need to make everything by hands anymore. However, new opportunities often bring new duties. The transfer of the working system from the so-called cottage system to fabric system enormously changed the way of work, social relations, politics, and impacted not only Britain but also America and Europe. Industrial Revolution was the step to the great domination of Britain in the future. Cottage system was beneficial for workers as it meant workers to buy raw material, and then in home conditions workers did the work. The profit for workers was double: they could work at home and also be engaged in domestic duties, growing food, housekeep. Cottage system gave independence to the worker and ability to work whenever they can. This system was proper; however, it was slow, needed long and sometimes hard work. Traditional services and goods that were presented in cottage system were sewing, making lace and fabric. To create one shirt people needed to involve the whole family, it was a small-factory model. The prices were high, and the majority of people could not afford such goods from the workers, so rich people were the only consumers. The interrelations as boss- worker were multiple as workers could be bosses and the bargain took place on their clauses. After involving masses of people into factory system (1750), which was the reason of Industrial Revolution, cottage system was proclaimed as failure. There was no need to do something by hands when the machines at the factory did the work faster. As the conclusion, a lot of people lost their part time income. The machines in the factory system were managed by the water, steam, and electricity. People of all ages could work there for the wage or another alternative payment as food, or factory products. Factory system built big manufactories where a great mass of people worked in different departments in one building. It was mostly profitable for capitalists because owning of the building and machinery made a person a potentially successful employer. Factory system pushed out the cottage system, and in order to feed their families people went to work at the manufactories. The machines were expensive, but they paid themselves off quickly. The working conditions for people were awful; at the beginning, there were no safety rules, and as people of all ages could work there, the risks were enormous. However, the owners were not responsible for any kind of injuries at the factory as work was unasked. This little history excurse was needed to explain the atmosphere of that time. Speaking about the interrelations between people in society, it is needed to say that the time was hard: changes of system, revolutions, and innovations. The decline of the domestic system left the track on people’s life because most of the workers had to make a choice and work at the factories in order to survive. The whole families with little children went to the factories and did the work. It was something strange and from the first side unacceptable as people had to work a particular period of time at the factory, and there was no time for housekeeping. Men may have been unwilling to accept the separation of home and workplace which the gradual replacement of the domestic system by the factory system involved: but in its long-term implications for family life, it was probably one of the most beneficial and fundamental, of all the changes. A lot of workers suffered from low work conditions, the goods were cheaper, and the quality of life of the worker also declined. However, with the changes in the system Britain felt total increase of population; rural society drastically changed into urban society. People lived and worked in the inevitable unhygienic conditions because it was hard to afford good dwelling with a small wage. The growth of manufacturing meant that the first industrial proletariat also came into being: an exploited working class, crowded in cities and slums, subjected to stern factory discipline, and often degraded, disoriented, and discontented as a result. The desire of people to earn more money influenced the class-formation; the middle-class was predominant more than aristocracy, and proletariat always struggled to fight for their diminished rights. The discrimination of women’s work was an urgent issue because women had no physical power to implement the same work as men and also could not defend their rights for full wage. Therefore, the owners were interested in new working force which was weak and profitable. Interpersonal relationships were either inside the family circle, or between boss and worker. However, the Industrial Revolution brought a great progress to Britain. It cost health to a lot of people, but the canals on the rivers were built, machines did a lot of work, the first steam engine was created, the goods were cheaper, and it all spread across the world and gave powerful name to Britain. Printing press occurred, and the level of literacy increased among masses. With time, the conditions of the work improved, mostly because people gathered in strikes and fought for their rights: for a few decades in the 19th century British manufactured goods dominated world trade. To conclude, people in the period of 1750-1900 had suffered a lot. The overpopulation of Britain, low sanitation rate, total capitalism, discrimination, and diminishing of human rights took place, but through all this pain Britain had built big prosperous country, known for its coal and fabric. After people’s strikes, the industrial owners started to pay more attention to the work conditions as it is understandable that healthy worker brings more income.

About author Olivia works as an author and she is working on prewritten papers now .Olivia likes to develop her skills in professional writing. She works on creative orders, often updating her knowledge in various fields. He spends his weekends with friends at thematic conferences and trainings. All customers are satisfied with such a profitable cooperation.