Introduction
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” once wrote Charles Dickens, a famous English author. Interestingly enough, his quote perfectly fits the situation of the working class in Britain during the Victorian era. The best thing that happened to the working class was that education became available to them for the very first time in history. Yet, those who did not receive an education, for whatever reason, were left behind in the competition. As a result, life had become drastically different for these two groups.
Education before the Industrial Revolution was far different from what we enjoy today, as only elites and rich aristocracies could afford it. There was no chance for working-class children to receive any education or sit in classrooms, and as a result, they were left with few career choices—farmers or servants. It was not until the establishment of ragged schools that working-class children could attend and receive an education. Ragged schools offered free education specifically to working-class children. They used The Holy Bible to teach students to read and write, and introduced practical skills such as needlework and shoemaking to better prepare students for the ongoing industrialization in Britain.
Simultaneously, the living and working conditions of the working class in the Victorian era were horrendous. Factories were extremely hot; sometimes, the temperature could go up to 40 degrees Celcius. To prevent strings from breaking, factories had to remain humid indoors, leaving many employees without ventilation. Respiratory problems and lung infections were also common among workers. Besides, work-related injury is another killer: no proper safety regulations existed. Workers were hardly protected, not to mention enjoying their rights. Trade unions were banned altogether, and workers barely received fair payment. In many factories, workers were paid by self-printed scripts, which only allowed them to purchase goods from factory owners. Peaceful strikes demanding fair payment or better working conditions were usually crushed violently by government troops under the demand of factory owners.
The living conditions of the working class were just as harsh. Workers usually lived in urban areas next to the factory they worked in. Lucrative landowners tended to build as many houses on the same land, resulting in overcrowding. Living rooms, ventilation, sewage, and a clean water supply were luxuries. Moreover, cholera, typhoid, scarlet fever, and other diseases spread like wildfire under this situation, causing millions of deaths.
Overall, the working class in Victorian Britain needed to be saved from the mire, and education was their elixir. Education changed the lives of the working class in Britain during the Industrial Revolution as it brought them opportunities to live longer and better by improving their working and living conditions.
Education Improves Working Conditions
Work and family life were the two primary components of the day for the working class in Victorian Britain due to a lack of access to entertainment. Therefore, improving the dire working conditions would directly bring positive change to one’s life, and health-related issues and unprotected rights were the two major problems deteriorating people’s working conditions.
Industrial pollution and machine-related injuries were prevalent during this time. The lung infection rate among workers was as high as 80%, increasing public attention over factory health-related issues. Furthermore, findings that the average death age for factory workers in Manchester was 17 shocked the public. The ground-breaking accident of the Huskar Pit Disaster triggered the sirens for change. In 1838, a river flooded the factory's ventilation in the village of Silkstone, causing the deaths of 26 child laborers. The London Times Newspaper reported this tragedy, calling public attention to the issue of child labor and the working environment in the factories.
Luckily, education brought hope to those who benefitted the most from it, giving them a fighting chance to choose better jobs and escape from the deadly working environment. Widely available education programs urged students to learn reading, writing, and practical skills in schools. An increase in the literacy rate from 40% to 54.8% during 1800-1850 proved the effectiveness of education in equipping students with basic skills. People with these basic skills would find themselves qualified for better jobs. For example, in 1832, the recruitment requirement of railway engineers was to "be able to read and write" and have "thorough knowledge of the practical working of railways,” which were all taught in schools. At the same time, the recruitment of manual railway workers only required "unskilled or little trained workers" as long as they were “able-bodied.” Working in the same industry, railway engineers usually had access to "separate, well-ventilated rooms or offices" and a "generally better environment.” In contrast, manual workers worked in a crowded, filthy, hot outdoor environment. Such differences indicated that a high skill level and knowledge were needed for better-off positions. Benefiting from the reading and writing skills taught in schools, students could choose jobs with higher wages and better working conditions.
Another serious issue is about workers' rights. As mentioned above, for workers, fair payment and the right to demonstrate were long suspended by factory owners. These problems remained unsolved until the Peterloo Massacre, which brought the problem of workers’ rights under the spotlight. In 1819, in St. Peters filed in Manchester, around 60,000 workers peacefully assembled to demand the right to vote, the freedom to speak, fair pay, and other legitimized rights. However, their peaceful demonstration was brutally crushed by the Manchester Yeomanry under the command of the local magistrate, causing 15 deaths and hundreds of injuries. This event largely angered the working class as they felt mistreated. They were crushed like war enemies instead of unarmed citizens who peacefully expressed their needs. These oppressions demonstrated a shared attitude in government—the interests of factory owners were chosen over the interests of workers, who did not even know their legitimate rights.
Education had brought changes to this status quo. Equipped with reading and writing skills, the working class could have more access to revolutionary ideas and become more aware of the rights they deserved. The most effective and direct method was to unite those who shared similar ideologies and vote for them. Many educated workers then began to support sympathetic lawmakers who promised to stand with them. For example, one of the first parliament members with a working-class background—Thomas Burt—was largely supported by the Northumberland Miner's Association when he ran for MP. In his letter to the association, he wrote, "I respectfully express my sense of honor … [as] you supported my selection … in Parliament.” Also, in this letter, Burt revealed his future plan for acting in favor of the workers to help them secure the rights they deserved. "I will represent your interests and those of the working class.” To further advocate workers’ rights, workers continuously organized strikes and collected bargaining power with the help of the Trade Unions. Pamphlets urging workers to stand up and fight for their legitimized rights were published and distributed, circulating among workers. Finally, with workers’ actively advocating their rights, more favorable laws had passed, such as the Employers' Liability Act of 1880, making it easier for workers to prosecute their employers for factory-related injuries. Workers thus could better protect themselves from harsh conditions and unfair treatment. They were also granted the freedom to strike. Following successes were seen. The London Dock Strike in 1889, where dockworkers struck to demand higher wages and better conditions, succeeded in increasing six pence per hour and forming the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union to bargain for better conditions.
To conclude, education enabled the workers to better qualify for more advantageous jobs and escape the previously dire environment. It also raised workers’ awareness of the rights they deserved. Workers with proper education would then support regulations that better protected them, resulting in improvements in average wages and working conditions, which would change their lives to a large extent.
Education Improves Living Conditions
Regarding living conditions, access to clean water and medical treatment were the main concerns of the working class. Between 1831 and 1832, the first outbreak of cholera, a water-borne disease, caused 64,000,000 deaths and 64 riots in the following year. Pressure from the public entailed the necessity to act.
Firstly, ignorance that caused most tragedies could be tackled by education about the importance of personal hygiene and sanitation. Ragged schools introduced hygiene in classes. For example, a series of textbooks called 'British and Foreign School Society Readers' containing a chapter on hygiene and health was used in ragged schools. With the increasing understanding of relevant knowledge, people understood their vulnerability to diseases and how an awful environment with dirty water and an overcrowded population worsened the situation. Hence, people reacted positively and took action to improve sanitation. Industrial cities like Manchester, composed of a large majority of workers, quickly implemented the suggested policies and appointed a medical officer to oversee the construction of sewage and clean water supply to replace the inaccessible ones owned by private firms. �
In addition, the richer workers attributed to education realized the significance of sanitation. So, before the government stepped in, these workers were able and willing to pay for clean water supplied by private firms regardless of its cost. For instance, in 1854, an educated working-class man—John Lubbock wrote in his letter, “[T]he water … supplied by a private company … [was] perfectly pure and admirably filtered … It was good for health".
Similarly, education also helped Britain deal with disease more scientifically. During the first cholera outbreak, a superstitious solution of the 'Day of Humiliation' asked people to fast and repent to God. Scientific approaches, such as the Public Health Act of 1848, also failed because of a lack of understanding of the disease. However, during the second and third outbreaks, more scientifical solutions were in place due to the development of the professional education system, resulting in fewer deaths—32,000,000 and 1,000,000 respectively. The working class seemed absent in the process, but they did benefit from professional medical education. For example, to cope with cholera, ragged schools introduced up-to-date measures such as wearing masks and whitewashing victims’ houses. Newly invented sanitation methods like bathing was introduced by placing washing equipments in schools.
Therefore, education has, directly and indirectly, increased the age of the population from an average of 37 in 1800 to 55 by the end of the 19th century. Through access to clean water and scientific medical measures, the educated working class was first aware of the importance of personal hygiene and acceptable living condition. They would also be willing and able to pay for better life services and support relevant policies to further improve the average living conditions. Together with the enhanced understanding of diseases, the working class did benefit from education in general and had better chances of surviving disease outbreaks.
Conclusion
To sum up, Victorian Britain was indeed the “best of times” for the working class as their lives were changed positively by the improved working and living conditions. However, it was also the “worst of times,” as those who did not receive an education were left out, resulting in a continuously enlarging gap between the educated and the not. Those being educated experienced an apparent increase in average longevity and quality of life as they had more choices and opportunities.
The situation has not changed much: equal education remains a significant issue as it is still indispensable in defining who one is and what life one might conduct. Therefore, education equality should be promoted. Yet, the good news is that more individuals, organizations, and countries have started to act. With our joint effort, a better era could be expected where quality education is equal for everyone.
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