Urban Life During The Second Industrial Revolution

The Second Industrial Revolution began about 1875 and instead of using iron as the main building material, steel became the preference. It was lighter, stronger and more flexible. People moved away from the use of steam power to a new way of making things move by using electricity and petroleum. This new was of energy allowed homes to have lights at night and street lights. Electricity opened the door to the use of the telegraph and telephone. It also allowed factories and mills to run as long as they wanted because there was a new source of power. The automobile made living a lot more interesting and travel greater because of the automobile and its being fueled by petroleum. Urban life was very much affected in a positive way because everyone wanted a better life, however, with so many coming to the towns to gain financial stability the negatives were quickly mounding. Overcrowded living and work places; poor working conditions and low paying employment opportunities were just a few of the negatives of this revolution.
During the time of the Industrial Revolution working conditions were horrible. Many poor people needing jobs traveled to the cities to work long hours and receive very low wages. These workers were not just adults, but children, too, and the work day could be as long as 16 hours. These workers were a kind of slave because they had no real voice in the company and no guarantee of safety at the work place from an injury. If they were injured on the job, the business owner would not consider a workman’s compensation, but, the reality for that worker would be a lost job and a new hire in their place. No one dared not report to work because of sickness as the result of that would probably be loss of the job and a new hire in their