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How did the Industrial Revolution change daily life in Victorian Britain?
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Victorian era
Queen Victoria, watercolour by Julia Abercromby, 1883, after a watercolour by Heinrich von Angeli; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
The Industrial Revolution significantly altered daily life in Victorian Britain by shifting work from homes to factories, leading to long hours and often dangerous conditions for subsistence wages. This transition increased overall wealth and expanded the middle class, but it also consigned many, including women and children, to arduous labor. The rise of manufacturing industry was striking, with a significant portion of the workforce moving from agriculture to factories, mines, and construction. This industrialization, while creating wealth, also led to social upheaval and the emergence of the trade union movement as workers sought better conditions.1234