Over the span of 100 years beginning in 1750 and ending in 1850, the industrial revolution evolved Europe into a continent where many machine replaced the Proletariat. Many of the changes that occurred during that time have led historians to refer to it as a turning point in history. I agree that it was “more negative” or “more positive.” But the industrial revolution was a pretty negative time period.
I do agree that the child labor during this period could make it look more negative. Children as young as six years old during the industrial revolution worked hard hours for little or no pay. Sometimes they worked 12-14 hours a day, with very little or no total break. Kids were running around working in terrible and unsafe conditions. Usually they worked with very big, dangerous equipment. It wasn’t strange if kids were killed or injured on the job, and there was no compensation around this time period either. Children were paid lower than what other, older, more experienced worker would get paid. Sometimes factory owners would get away with paying them nothing at all. Along with dangerous conditions and low pay children were often treated terribly also. Children's safety was commonly ignored. Both boys and girls who worked in factories were subject to beatings. Working conditions of all jobs were just terrible. Miners had to work long hours in the dark and wet with a number of hazards to deal with which were not to be found in many other work-places, like cave-ins, ventilation problems as mines became deeper, and Gas was an unending problem. Sometimes if methane, carbon monoxide, or carbon dioxide were leaked into the air the mine would explode because the lamps miners used were fire lanterns. Also the workers breathed in the coal throughout their career, so sooner or later they developed black lung. These conditions shortened miner’s lives. In factories the conditions were no better. They’re lives could also be shortened too, because women had to wear long dresses to work in and is one