The Factory System and Working Class in England Essay

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Introduction

The factory system aims to organize labor by adopting machines to make work easier and increase production. The machines are too large to be housed in a worker’s cottage. The factory system involves manufacturing activities using machinery and labor division, which displaces family-based cottage industries. Therefore, the introduction of machines aimed to improve work efficiency, high production, and employee welfare. The factory system did not achieve this goal and had many shortcomings that did not make it successful. The factory system’s employment opportunities led to a mass inflow of immigrants, rural-urban migrations, low wages, and abuse of women in factories.

Condemnation Statement of Sadler’s Report

The factory system was not a good idea because it aimed to increase productivity but failed to address people’s welfare and health issues. According to Rodgers, the system lacked policies to guide its implementation, which triggered the concentration of factories in one area and thus immigration to urban areas. The movement to the town saw the outbreak of diseases and increased crime (Rodgers 145). The system only benefited those leaders and failed to address issues of minority groups such as women and the less skilled (Rodgers 146). The shortcoming can be seen up-to-date through how people are recruited in the factories, and the livelihoods of the low waged have been (Rodgers 145). It is critical to note that people suffered a lot under the factory system, and some led miserable lives.

Factory System’s Effect on Society and Workers

Although machines improved work efficiency, factories failed to compensate their workers well since employees faced several risks in the workplace as they worked for long hours (Engels, “The Condition of the Working Class in England” 145). Factories replaced most unskilled laborers with machines and were out of work, reducing the quality of life since they could not get their basic needs. The people who got to work with the engines under the factory system were paid meager wages and worked under poor working conditions (Engels, “The Condition of the Working Class in England” 149). The factory system also introduced the concept of wage labor concept which was exploitive for the employees.

The Effects of the Factory System on Morality

A company’s moral compass should begin with its treatment of its personnel. The system consisted of unethical leadership, which resulted in toxic workplace culture. The report indicates that workers, including children and women, were mistreated (Engels, “The Impact on Women and Family” 153). Although the machines increased work efficiency and productivity, they pressured their workers into working long hours to achieve unrealistic goals. The labor was excessive, and workers complained of long working hours such that they had no time to eat (Rogers 144). Having goal-oriented leadership that pushes the organization to innovate and develop is essential, but giving employees pressure to complete unattainable goals is immoral.

Factory System’s Effect on the Environment

The industrial revolution aggravated most of today’s environmental issues, such as pollution. Natural resources were changed to power the factories and maintain the output of manufactured items. Factories failed to regulate the adverse ecological effects that resulted in wasted energy. The biosphere relies on plants and animals to provide ecosystem services; hence population growth destroys the earth’s resources, thus leaving dwindling stocks of plants and animals (Engels, “The Impact on Women and Family” 152). Therefore, the system should have considered appropriate decisions about where to build industrial sites to mitigate the adverse effects of waste.

Conclusion

The introduction of the machinery opened room for a division of labor among employees; this eventually increased the output per individual worker. Society experienced rural to urban movements as people searched for better jobs to provide for their families. Many women were employed in those factories; however, they were lowly paid, which was the factory’s motivation. The system improved the way of living following the new developments. It caused hazardous environmental effects such as pollution and labor abuse to the less privileged.

Works Cited

Engels, Friedrich. The Condition of the Working Class in England. 1844. Reprint, New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

  • The Impact of the Factory System on Women and Family. Reprint, New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Rodgers. The Sadler Report. Parliamentary papers report, 1996, pp. 144-146.

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IvyPanda. (2023, July 30). The Factory System and Working Class in England. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-factory-system-and-working-class-in-england/

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"The Factory System and Working Class in England." IvyPanda, 30 July 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/the-factory-system-and-working-class-in-england/.

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IvyPanda. (2023) 'The Factory System and Working Class in England'. 30 July.

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IvyPanda. 2023. "The Factory System and Working Class in England." July 30, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-factory-system-and-working-class-in-england/.

1. IvyPanda. "The Factory System and Working Class in England." July 30, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-factory-system-and-working-class-in-england/.


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IvyPanda. "The Factory System and Working Class in England." July 30, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-factory-system-and-working-class-in-england/.

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