The middle class believed that because they were the ones working and earning the country’s wealth, they were deserving of the vote. Indeed, there was growing respect for the so-called urban artisans and the skilled working class whose voices were only now beginning to be heard. As the population moved away from rural areas into towns and cities, the landowning aristocrats of those rural areas started to lose their power. With people living and working closer together and improved communication, ideas like democracy and liberalism increased dramatically in popularity. However despite all of these changes in attitudes Britain was still primarily ruled and governed by the upper and upper-middle-class aristocracy.
They were provided with no running water or sewage, which meant all of the waste went into the streets, washing out into the rivers, leaving the water contaminated. The women felt like they were slaves working in the factories. They believed their conditions were no better off, than how slaves lived. There was a division within the industrial working class. The women and children were paid less than the men.
Women were another vulnerable group because they were always paid at a lower rate than men. There was no safety net for people who fell into poverty other than resorting to the ‘workhouse’ which had been established to deal with cases of extreme poverty in Trade unions had little power as the Taff Vale Incident of 1901 showed and Friendly Societies could only provide a limited amount of help. Attitudes to poverty in the early 20th century were quite unsympathetic many politicians from both the Liberal and Conservative party felt that poverty came from personal laziness. Both parties had an attitude of “laissez-faire” i.e. non interference from the government.
The population was estimated to have dropped 50-60%, so the prices of goods rapidly dropped, since there were so few people still alive to buy it. The lower levels of the social chain, like the peasants, serfs, farmers, and factory workers were struck the hardest. (Pollama) Since their living and work conditions were not very sanitary, and their living spaces were often cramped and dirty, they were the easiest targets for the plague. All of the jobs that these people had were now open, and available for people to take. Since the serf population had gotten ridiculously low, plantation owners were forced to start paying workers to tend the farms.
The poor suffered powerlessness because they were poor, therefore they were placed at the bottom of the social ladder. They were automatically placed at the bottom of the social ladder and were referred to as “sinners” because they were uneducated and poor. They were led to believe that they were inferior and were possessed like property that could be acquired, used , and disposed of the politics of the moment required. 3. Would you describe this society as a power-over or power-with society?
The Whigs were a major political party between 1834 and the 1850s, unified by their opposition to Andrew Jackson and their support for federal policies to aid business. The party was strongest among the merchants and manufacturers of the Northeast, the wealthy planters of the South, New Englanders, middle class urban professionals, and the farmers of the West most eager for internal improvements, expanding trade and rapid economic progress. Whiggery favored Clay’s American System (national bank, high tariff, internal improvements) expanding the power of the federal government, encouraging industrial and commercial development, and knitting the country together into a consolidated economic system. They were also cautious about westward expansion, fearful that rapid territorial growth would produce instability. Whigs seeked a nation embracing the industrial future and rising to world greatness as a
Most people who worked in the factories lived in the factories which had little living space, lack of proper ventilation and lack of proper hygiene (Wikipedia). Due to the poor living conditions and overcrowding people were subject to health issues and death related from communicable diseases. Along with the poor living conditions, hunger and malnutrition were common during this time. Labor laws did not exist. Workers worked long hours without breaks and children were also subjected to these cruel working conditions as they were often put to work alongside their parents.
Imagery plays an enormous part in society, as within society, imagery is everything. Shallowness, rather than depth and substance, will always be the order of the day in today's society. However much we try to obey the laws of society, and the pressures that society can bring, there is a certain inevitability about it all. People are miserable, gray, tired, and worn. They are sick of the mounting pressures put upon them; sick of working long hours for little pay, sick of obeying the law when the law is nowhere to be seen for them when they may need it the most.
The conditions were so bad many people ended up unable to work due to sickness or death from either the meat or exhaustion. Sinclair made it clear that the poor peasants were the hardest working and received nothing in return. His passion in writing is so deep for the lower class folks when he expresses the value of each individual in Jurgis’ group and their drive to keep
Saying that, “failure to address these issues not only hurts these workers’ families, it erodes the functioning of America’s communities, its economy and our very notions of what democracy can achieve (Fairness Initiative).” Also, although food stamps are supposed to be there to help working poor families, it still in the end leads to further erode in their economic well-being. So in dealing with all these issues, many working poor families are left stressed. The fact of these families living in poverty is enough, but also the fact that children have to endure these conditions in poverty is unbearable. “. .