HistoryExtra podcast The Industrial Revolution: everything you wanted to know
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Jan 3, 2021 Emma Griffin, a historian and president of the Royal Historical Society, dives into Britain’s Industrial Revolution, addressing listener questions. She highlights how this era marked a shift from land-based to machine-driven production. Griffin discusses the pivotal role of coal and capital, along with the societal impacts on workers, especially children. She examines the changes in family dynamics and working conditions, revealing both the grim realities and unexpected opportunities, emphasizing the balance of winners and losers in this transformative period.
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Wage Work Reshaped Family Power
- Industrial wages and paid work restructured family hierarchies by valuing male wage labour over domestic work.
- Griffin argues this increased inequality within families and created sharper social gradations among workers.
Compare Wages And Opportunity
- Recognize wages varied widely: typical rural weekly pay was ~10–11 shillings while miners and factory roles could pay much more.
- Griffin advises evaluating industrialisation by both pay levels and the availability of many jobs that shifted bargaining power toward workers.
Don't Romanticize The Rural Past
- The pre-industrial past was harsh: endemic hunger and hard labour made industrial jobs attractive despite risks.
- Griffin warns against romanticising rural life and emphasizes workers often improved their situation via industrial employment.
