HOW DID INDUSTRIALISATION AFFECT THE HEALTH OF THE BRITISH WORKERS?

The Industrial Revolution is often referred to as a key period in the economic and social history of Britain. Industrialisation refers to the gradual change from traditional, agricultural methods to those involving some form of mechanised, factory based production. Britain was the first nation in the world to go through the process of becoming industrialised. The industrial Revolution is thought to have begun at some time in the 18th century, and continued to the 20th century. Historical evidence shows that, during this period, industrialisation transformed British society and the lives of British people. Social transformation did not happen suddenly,as though one Britain was a pre-industrial, agricultural society and next it was ‘indusrtialised’. There was a gradual change in methods of production and the location of people’s work that combined with other important social, political and economic developments-are linked to the developments of major health and social welfare problems. This essay is going to look at how industrialisation

At the beginning of the 18th century, Britain was primarly an agricultural country with most people living in rural areas. The population of Britain was only 9 million, but was about to expand rapidly. The majority of workers and industries operated within domestic system. This involved people working in their own homes to produce goods, or components of goods, and also to cultivate food on their own farm or piece of land. The advantages of this system were that workers and their families were free to work for themselves at their own pace, work and family life was relatively intergrated, and working conditions could be controlled by workers. During the 18th century there was a gradual move away form this way of working. The invention of machines led to a