Karl Marx Essay Essay

“Describe and critically discuss the exploitation of the labour of men, women and children during the Industrial revolution in England.”

The Industrial Revolution involved the mass production of consumer goods due to the newly invented machinery. This resulted in the exploitation of men, women and children in England during this period. The Industrial Revolution was based upon the efficient exploitation of nature’s raw materials and labour as new scientific theories developed by the scientists were quickly transformed machines that increased the productivity of factories (Website 1). This essay aims to define and describe the exploitation of men, women and children during this period in history.

In the world today, we make good use of the products of an industrial era, these products include goods for consumption and a variety of services (Website 2). There was a time when all products were hand-made and the factory system did not exist, this transition is known as the Industrial Revolution (Website 2). In a little more than a century, Britain changed from a largely rural population to a country that was dominated by industrial towns, factories, mines and workshops, and the growth of the economy boomed, as well as production methods (Website 2). By the early 18th century, coal was being extracted from mines and as the industry expanded, more and more miners were being sent underground to extract the coal, and worked long hours in very dangerous conditions (Website 2). In early mines, coal was brought up in a very basic way, whole families worked at the mines, the father and the boys hewed the coal (cutting it with a pick), and the mothers and daughters carried the coal to the surface ( climbing up a spiral staircase with a heavy basket, filled with coal, on their backs), this was held in place using a strap that was tied around their foreheads, this often created a bald spot as their hair and skin would wear away (Website 2). In other mines, the coal and the...