From the Industrial Revolution to the Victorian age
Child labour became conspicous during The Industrial Revolution of the 18th century in Great Britain. The problem arose when children, younger than ten years old, were forced to work long hours under dangerous conditions in factories and mines for low salaries.
Charles Dickens,who worked in a factory himself at age twelve, attacked this problem in his novel "Oliver Twist".
Between 1750’s-1850’s Britain became the first industrial country in the world thanks to the Industrial Revolution wich changed it from an economic, commercial, political and social point of view. In England new machinery replaced manual labour.
People from the agricoltural north-west were employed in factories.
They worked in dangerous conditions: children worked for 16 hours a day and for little wages. Women and children worked in mines. In Britain spread out infective diseases.
1837-1901 Queen Victoria's long reign lasted 65 years. Victoria married Albert, a German Prince and they had nine children and forty grandchildren. In 1867 she also became Empress of India. The British Empire covered a quarter of the earth's surface and extended from India to Canada. In this period there was the invention of steamship.
