English (Original)
The Industrial Revolution through three voices
Between about 1760 and 1840, life in Britain changed faster than ever before. Instead of telling the story in the usual way, let’s listen to three people who lived through it.
Tom, a farmer, 1780
“My family has worked the same land for generations. We grow our food, and we make bread, cloth and tools by hand. We plan our year by the seasons, and life is slow but familiar. Last year, my brother left for the city to look for work. He has not written yet. Recently, I have heard strange news: a man called James Watt has improved the steam engine, and people say it can do the work of twenty horses. I do not understand how, but I am worried. In our village, the old craftsmen are already losing customers, because cheap cloth from the city is arriving at the market. If machines can do our work, what will happen to people like us?”
Mary, a factory worker, 1840
“I moved to Manchester when I was twelve. The farm could not feed all of my brothers and sisters, so I found a job in a cotton factory. I work fourteen hours a day, six days a week. The machines are loud, the air is full of dust, and the pay is low. A supervisor watches us all day, and he takes money from our pay if we are late. However, my wages arrive every week, and my parents never had that kind of security. In the evening, I go back to a small, crowded room in a dirty neighbourhood. Many of the children here are ill, and there is no clean water on our street. People say the government must make new laws to protect us. I hope they are right, because I want my own children to have a better life one day.”
Edward, a factory owner, 1850
“I started with one small mill. Today I employ three hundred people, and my machines make cloth faster and cheaper than any hand worker. I buy cotton from America, and my goods travel by railway to the port and then by ship to customers around the world. I am wealthy now, and I believe progress is wonderful. Some people call me a hero, and others call me a thief. My wife says I should visit the streets where my workers live. Perhaps she is right. I have seen the children at the factory gates early in the morning, and they look tired. A successful business should not depend on other people’s suffering.”
Tom, Mary and Edward never met, but the same machines connected their lives. Together, their stories show how a few inventions could change a whole country.