Manchester DBQ

Essay by Gidz.08High School, 11th gradeA+, May 2008

download word file, 6 pages 5.0

When Manchester first built its big mechanized cotton machine, it became the leading textile manufacturing city in the whole world. Much of its population in 1850s was made up with the working class and immigrants from parts of Britain and even Europe. In 1851, it was granted a royal charter after Queen Victoria's visit. The Reform Bill granted Manchester representation in parliament and middle-classmen the right to vote. All this was due to the exponential growth of Manchester during the Industrial Revolution. According to the Encarta World English Dictionary, Industrial Revolution was the period when U.K. went through social and economic changes that involved widespread adoption of industrial methods of production. The specialization of tasks, the concentration of capital, and the centralization of work forces were important aspects of these changes. The major factor in the growth of Manchester was the Industrial Revolution. As a result, many issues were raised and there were many reactions to it.

Some of the main consequences of the growth were: increase in pollution/degraded living conditions, atrocious working environment, and repulsive appearance of the whole city.

One of the biggest problems due to the growth of Manchester was increase in pollution, which resulted in bad living conditions. As Edwin Chadwick, a public health reformer, states: Diseases caused by atmospheric impurities and close and overcrowded dwellings [plus] filth and bad ventilation [result in] loss of life [that] is greater than loss of death from death or wounds in modern wars. The point of view of Chadwick is factual and not biased as he is a public health reformer and would correctly point out the living condition in Manchester. The statement above shows us that the filth and the diseases took a heavy toll on people's lives (Doc. 6). This fact is further supported by...