The industrial revolution was characterized by sweeping changes in society’s social, political, and economic aspects. The transformation brought changes in the societies’ view of family, religion and the leadership structure. The people of Lancashire and Manchester were at the center of these changes. The preindustrial revolution had a different impact on these two towns. Cotton milling industries brought with them massive social, economic and political changes. This paper seeks to compare the effect of the cotton industry on the preindustrial towns of Lancashire and Manchester.
Lancashire experienced an imminent political revolution characterized by the use of armed forces. Before the industrial revolution, the people of Lancashire were led by a squire accorded maximum respect. His opinion was the supreme rule, and no one could go against his direction (Guest 26). His subject appreciated and respected his authority, doing everything to gain favor in his eyes. With the development of cotton manufacturing, the political structure of the people of Lancashire took a different turn. They got more interest in political decisions made by the government because they directly affected their employment conditions. As the author described, political discussions were often seen with the evolution of the Industrial Revolution (Guest 26). Moreover, with the increase in economic development, the need to defend their boundaries arose, leading to firearm use. The industrial revolution caused a major political transformation in Lancashire.
On the other hand, Manchester experienced a different political transformation. Manchester, the cotton trade’s center, attracted people from different walks of life (Kay 45). This led to massive immigration of people who had barbaric characteristics and an increased crime rate in the area. Moreover, predominantly the Irish, these immigrants took their cotton lands, forcing them out. However, the author does not discuss the changes in the leadership structure as discussed with Lancashire.
Lancashire experienced a massive social change with the development of the cotton industry. Initial to the emergence of the industrial revolution, the people of Lancashire spent their leisure time together wrestling and running races. Moreover, they took matters of religion seriously, and the religious leader was well respected (Guest 26). They found time to seek the divine mercies of God from their priest. The emergence of the industrial revolution so the erosion of such cultures. People no longer found joy in wrestling and running races. The people of Lancashire would rather spend their leisure time demanding an increase in wages or discussing the government’s opinion concerning cotton milling. The industrial revolution indeed significantly affected the people of Lancashire, changing their view of the social structure.
Similarly, Manchester’s social structure is disrupted by the emergence of the industrial revolution. Initially, the people of Manchester believed in a good and organized family structure where the house was supposed to be kept clean, and people would have sufficient on the table during meals. Cotton manufacturing caused an end to the proper family structure (Kay 46). Most family members were engaged in the factories and had no time to gather and discuss family issues. The author describes the condition within the families claiming that the father spent much time at work, making him drained, yet he did not come home to a clean home or a properly prepared meal by the wife because all members of the family were working except those that could not work. The author’s description shows how badly Manchester’s social structure was affected.
In addition, the industrial revolution causes the emergence of social classes. In Lancashire, the author describes how the workers had to increase their labor to ensure high wages from their masters. This shows that the workers and their masters were in different social classes, and the workers had to put more effort into their masters, who were charged with the duty of paying for their labor (Guest 27). Similarly, the emergence of the cotton trade division the people of Manchester into poor and rich. The poor and the rich never occupied the same habitat as described by the author (Kay 45). Some streets were occupied by the rich, while poor dwellers mainly occupied the districts. Both places are affected by the grouping of social classes brought about by the Industrial Revolution.
The industrial revolution also led to the use of child and women’s labor. In most societies, children and women as sources of work are always considered cheap. However, this is not mentioned in any of the places. Using children and women is indicated in Manchester, where all the members of the family who could work were expected to report to work (Kay 44). Child labor is dangerous, considering the production conditions. All workers were expected to work for long hours, which could have negatively affected the children and the women. However, the specific source of labor is the author does not mention Lancashire. The industrial revolution caused child and women labor, which might have been cheap but detrimental to their health.
Moreover, the industrial revolution led to poor living conditions for the people of Manchester. The industrial revolution so the development of cotton milling industries where the people of Manchester provided labor. This was expected to improve their living standards to earn them a living (Kay 46). However, the author describes the domestic condition as neglected, meaning that most workers were poor. This poverty is accompanied by strenuous working conditions where the people are expected to work for longer hours. These working hours should have been reflected in their living standards. The author also suggests that the people of Manchester hardly benefited from the cotton manufacturing, hinting that some people outside Manchester helped. The industrial transformation, which was meant to improve the living conditions of the people of Manchester, worsened it.
The industrial transformation caused an increase in economic activities in both Lancashire and Manchester. Cotton milling industries caused most residents to be occupied. The author says that they spent most of their time thinking of increasing their earnings and discussing how government policies would affect their work (Kay 45). Similarly, Manchester was also occupied by the economic activities caused by the cotton industry. The author says that a good part of Manchester was occupied by trading centers, warehouses and shops. This shows that the level of economic activity within Manchester was very high. Furthermore, most residents spend most of their time in the milling industry. The industrial revolution transformed Manchester and Lancashire into economic grounds.
In conclusion, the industrial revolution had both positive and negative impacts on social, political and economic effects. It caused an increase in economic activities and a restructuring of the social and political structure of the people of Lancashire and Manchester. Moreover, it led to poor working conditions and women and child labor in Manchester. The industrial revolution was supposed to benefit the people of Manchester but ended up causing more suffering for them.
References
Guest, R. (1978). Change Comes to Lancashire. In Human Documents of Industrial Revolution in Britain.
Kay, J. (1978). Manchester Cotton Operatives. In Human Document of Industrial Revolution in Britain.