Industrial Development in the Nineteenth Century

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Industrial Development in the Nineteenth Century There was a great deal of industrial development and change throughout the nineteenth century. It was a very wealthy era with many rich people and England was a prosperous country. For the poor people in England, the nineteenth century was a terrible time. If you were redundant you would probably starve to death. The novel "A Christmas carol" by Charles Dickens shows what life was truly like for the normal, poor people. In this essay I'm going to find out if Dickens' novel, "A Christmas carol" supports the view of former Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, that Britain was "Two nations… The rich and the poor." Work during the Victorian era was a tough and torrid affair. Long hours were commonplace for most Victorian people, and not a lot was paid for their services. In the story "A Christmas carol", the Cratchits are made to work on Christmas Eve and a day. 'Whatever has got your precious father then? And your brother, Tiny Tim! And Martha warn't as late last Christmas Day by half-an -hour.' This quote epitomizes what working conditions were like for Victorians. People were still expected to work throughout Christmas day even though it was supposed to be a time of happiness. Scrooge is a prime example of a hard taskmaster who, although he is rich, continues to work his poor staff on a day like Christmas. Many poor people had very little holiday, as they couldn't afford to stop earning for a week. '"You'll want all day to-morrow, I suppose?" Said Scrooge. "If quite convenient, sir." "It's not convenient," Said Scrooge, "and it's not fair. If I was to stop half a crown for it, you'd think yourself ill used, I'll be bound?" This shows you that the rich in the Victorian era were very harsh with their money and wouldn't let their workers take a day off for free. I think this evidence supports the saying by Benjamin Disraeli that nineteenth century Britain was 'Two nations… The rich and the poor.

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