INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: Essay #3.

The bridge between the rich and the poor.

  During the eighteenth century there was a clear and marked distinction between the rich and the poor people among the English society. London used to be a perfect example of the contrast between luxury and elegance and poverty and elegance, which characterized England during that time. The upper classes played a key role on politics since they tended to support Walpole, while the poor were excluded from politic affairs and had no participation at all. In spite of this clear division of classes, there was a group of people known as the craftsmen and artisans, who represented a bridge between the rich and the poor.

 The group of craftsmen and artisans was formed by the journeymen and apprentices of the great livery companies of London. These men worked very hard up to fourteen hours and they earned a really modest wage which, with the additions made by their wives and children, they raised themselves well above the subsistence level, only when trade was good. Unfortunately, trade was volatile and the chance of hunger and poverty was constantly threading their lives with anxiety. What is more, there were changes in the industrial organization such as the decay of the guild, the spread of a free labour market, the introduction of labour- saving machinery that would replace humans´ labour. Those changes increased people´s feeling of dispossession.

  Until 1725, the craftsmen and artisans used to have a measure of political power in London. However, it was soon diminished by Walpole since these men were supposed to be spreading opposition views, both Tory and Radical among them. Walpole was also unpleased by the craftsmen´s tendency to combine in order to fight for the rights they deserved under Tudor industrial legislation.  In spite of Walpole´s dislike, combinations went on and meetings took place in craftsmen´s friendly societies and taverns. Their dissatisfaction with the government was clearly expressed in the newspaper The Craftsman.

 In conclusion, the craftsmen and artisans used to be a social class that was well off and lived in dignified conditions. Nevertheless, with the spread of industrial innovations their situation began to change and this caused uneasiness among them. They were afraid of losing their jobs since machines were starting to replace humans’ labour. They felt really dispossessed since their status could rapidly change and they had already lost all political influence on government and Walpole´s support.