Negative Effects of Urban Life

581 Words3 Pages
The Negative Effects of Urban Life One of the defining and most lasting features of the Industrial Revolution was the rise of cities. Small towns became large cities by 1850, for the first time in world history, more people in Great Britain lived in cities than in rural areas. This process of urbanization stimulated the booming new industries by concentrating workers and factories together. And the new industrial cities became sources of wealth for the nation. Despite the growth in wealth and industry urbanization also had some negative effects. Working class neighborhoods are dirty, crowded, and polluted. In these cities the closed space environment led too disease and other sanitary Problems. The work environment was just as bad it was dirty and dangerous. Bosses disciplined their Employees and treated them harshly. Workers were underpaid and overworked. The life expectancy for working in a factory was much shorter than others. Work hours were long because factories didn’t have to use sunlight to decide business hours. There were also no regulations for the treatment of business employees. Workers were also oppressed due to the Combination Acts of the 1800’s made it illegal for workers to unionize or combine as a group to ask for better working conditions. Living conditions were affected by the work environment. Aristocrats of societies were useless In their trade as their skill was not needed anymore since they could mass produce cloth. The Government had setup poor houses were deliberately horrible places to discourage people from Staying on relief. Families including husbands and wives were separated upon entering the Grounds. They were kept each day as prisoners and worked every day by doing this the Government wanted to scare people from becoming poor but despite all of that the number Of people increased
Open Document