5.2 The Social Issue

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2

AGE 8. The Time of Citizens and Steam Engines

5.2 The Social Issue

-Q-

group members:
first + last name

1. Charles Dickens used his own childhood to write about the hard lives of industrial workers.
Online, find at least three books he wrote, other than Oliver Twist.

employee

employer

2. Drag the texts to the correct target.

Someone who pays wages to workers.

these people worked for low wages

Another name for these workers was “blue collar”.

Factory owners belonged to this group.

He hires personnel and wants to make a profit.

these people mostly lived in slums

Read "A tough life for labourers"

In this exercise you will practise the skill: Drawing conclusions from studying sources.

Look at the source. We are going to analyse this cartoon step by step.

3. See if you can recognise the people shown in
the cartoon:
a. Who are the people on top?
b. Who are the people below?

3c. What type of clothing does each group wear?

3d. Now look closely at the expression of the people in
the source and any extra clues you can see.
Write them down for both groups.

3e. Finally, have a closer look at the caption:
‘The protectors of our industries’.
Who are meant by that and why do you think so?

4. Read the following statements about the working and living conditions of the working class during the industrial revolution. Are they true or false?

a. People lived close to factories, so not only did they breath unhealthy air
during their working day, but also when they were at home.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

4b. The factory owners were concerned about the welfare of their factory workers.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

4c. The machines were very noisy, so most workers became deaf.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

4d. Fatigue, long hours and dangerous machines sometimes
led to deadly accidents.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

4e. There was a shortage of workers, so they got paid good salaries.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

5. Look at the sources below. In this exercise, you will practise the skill:
Comparing historical situations.
Make a comparison between the two sources.
Focus on the relationship between child labour and higher wages.

In New Lanark schools, Robert Owen pioneered new methods of teaching. He thought that education should be natural and spontaneous, but most of all enjoyable. 

Magnolia Cotton Mills Spinning Room, around 1900. Can you see the children that are working between the heavy machines?

the aim of

SOCIALISM

6. Look at the schedule and drag words at the correct place to explain what the aim of socialism was.

improve workers' lives

more equality in society

protection through new laws

government

7a. Read "The first trade unions and social laws"

Imagine being a factory worker, working long hours; children and wives also had to do dangerous work and accept unhealthy living conditions. How would you feel about trade unions?

7b. Imagine being a factory owner. You took a big risk by opening a factory and you worked hard to make it a success. How would you feel about trade unions?

8. One of the first social laws forbade children working in factories under the age of twelve. However, it was not very successful. The law that ordered children to go to school in 1900 changed that. Why would this law have been more helpful to end child labour?

9. Imagine yourself being a politician in the 19th century.
What social laws could you draft to improve the living
conditions of the workers to stop epidemics like the
one you see in the source ?

10. Here you can write down something that is not very clear to you in this lesson.

congratulations

congratulations