Hand labour and Steam power - Concepts - Chapter 4 Class 10 History - The Age of Industrialization - History

• There was no shortage of human labour in Victorian Britain.  
• Industrialists did not want to introduce machines as it required large capital investment and there was plenty of labour.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

• Poor peasants and vagrants (a wanderer) moved to the cities in large numbers in search of jobs .
• Industries where production fluctuated with the season, industrialists usually preferred hand labour, employing workers for the season .

• The demand in the market was often goods with intricate designs and specific shapes which c an only be done with hand labour . 
• Hand-made products came to symbolize refinement and class. 

         2.1 Life of the Workers

• The lives of the workers was affected by the abundance of labour in the market.
• One can only get a job if the person had networks of friendships and kin relations .

HOMELESS AND HUNGRY

• The painting depicts how the homeless in London apply for tickets to stay overnight in the workhouse. 
• Many job seekers had to wait weeks, spending nights under bridges or in night shelters . Some stayed in Night Refuges that were set up by private individuals. 
• Seasonality of work in many industries meant prolonged periods without work. 
• It was challenging to get a job till the mid-nineteenth century.
• The fear of unemployment made workers hostile to the introduction of new technology.

SPINNING JENNY

• Spinning Jenny was introduced in the wollen industry.

RAILWAY

• After the 1840s, building activity intensified in the cities , opening up greater employment opportunities.  
• From the 1850s railway began coming up all over London.