They were rapidly becoming places for manufacturing and industry; the dramatic growth of such cities produced miserable living conditions for many of the inhabitants."" (Western Civilization, 416). "There were 63 families where there were at least five persons to one bed; and there were some in which even six were packed in one bed, lying at the top and bottom "children and adults. Sanitary conditions in these towns were appalling. City streets were often used as sewers and open drains."" (Western Civilization, 417).
In addition to a new factory-owning bourgeoisie, the Industrial Revolution created a new working class. The new class of industrial workers included all the men, women, and children [as young as age seven] laboring in the textile mills, pottery works, and mines. Often skilled artisans found their selves degraded to routine process laborers as machines began to mass produce the products formerly made by hand.
Generally speaking, wages were low, hours were long, working conditions unpleasant and dangerous, and parents were forced to give up the discipline of their children to the factory boss. "Work hours ranged from twelve to sixteen hour a day, six days a week, with a half hour for lunch and dinner. There was no security of employment and no minimum wage. The worst conditions were endured by workers in the cotton mills, where temperatures were especially debilitating."" (Western Civilization, 418). "Conditions in the coal mines were also harsh. Inside the mines, men still bore the burden of digging the coal out while horses, mules, women, and children hauled coal carts on rails to the lift. Dangers abounded in coalmines; cave-ins, explosions, and gas fumes were a way of life. The cramped conditions "tunnels often did not exceed 3 or 4 feet in height "constant dampness in the mines resulted in deformed bodies and ruined lungs."" (Western Civilization, 418).
