Popular histories tend to give the Industrial Revolution a poor rap. They portray it as an era of environmental destruction and worker exploitation. We are told that the state intervened to end this nightmare through their visionary reformers.
The following article will help to provide a better understanding of this grim picture. Industrial Revolutions Podcast by David Broker. He charts changes in society caused by mass production and mechanization. Broker shares a wide range of stories, including episodes that cover everything from romantic literature to railroads.
It was not only dangerous to work in factories, but it also offered an escape form the old exploitive guild system. Despite being poor by contemporary standards, 19th-century cities were attractive to immigrant workers who saw the city as a place of opportunity and better quality of life.
The saintly reformers, whether they were bureaucrats and enlightened industrialists of that era, addressed real problems. But Broker is able to show how intrusive and paternalistic their plans were. This is the podcast for those who are interested in learning how humans evolved from poor farmers into a society that can produce and consume podcasts.