Industrial Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution was between 1750-1900.
• Conditions in factories were extremely poor.
• Factories were invented as large structures and machinery could not fit in peoples homes.
• Children and women had to work long 12+ hour days with little to no breaks.
• Women and children were hired to work in factories as they were less likely to complain about poor conditions and their low wages.
• Houses were built very quickly and to a poor standard, this was called ‘back to back housing’. The houses were overcrowded and disease such as TB spread easily.
• There was a Factory Act introduced by the government in 1833, said to improve factory conditions.
• In 1875, a Public Health Act was put in place to improve living conditions. This is because they discovered germs and bacteria, so sewage systems were made.
• Working hours on Saturdays were restricted, meaning workers could leave early. This led to sports such as football to be set up, to watch on Saturday afternoons.
• Football became popular as people no longer worked long hours on Saturdays, and trains made transport easy to watch matches.
• The Industrial Revolution is also known as the leisure revolution.
• The 1871 Bank Holiday Act introduced the first bank holiday.
• Public hangings were a form of entertainment.