Urbanization In Britain Essay Research Paper Environmental

Urbanization In Britain Essay, Research Paper

Environmental Problems in Britain during the Victorian Era:

Several factors in Great Britain during the Victorian age came together to form numerous problems. One problem among many was the issue of the environment. The new technology of the Industrial Revolution caused many problems for the Britain s environment.

With the new gigantic machines at work in the city, workers were unable to work at home anymore. They were required to work in the city. This was also done so the masters of the factories could keep the workers under a tighter schedule. The new machines caused an enormous amount of pollution in the city. The air was smoggy, and the air had the acrid smell of burnt fossil fuels. The workers were forced to breathe in smoggy air, which often made them queasy, or very sick. This environmental problem greatly contributed to the outbreak of illness in Great Britain. Another factor which contributed to the disease outbreak was the close quarters they worked in. The limited space in the factories restricted the size of the worker s working area. This problem allowed the disease to spread like wildfire. Several disease outbreaks occurred, none of which were beneficial to the environment. It is almost certain that the diseases spread to animals who weren t immune to it. This would have weakened the food web.

Many changes in Britain caused a domino effect, damaging the environment, spreading disease to people, and also, as technology developed, more accidents happened. The Industrial Revolution caused many changes, positive and negative, and had a substantial effect on the environment of Great Britain.

Several cities almost grew overnight in Britain in the 1700’s. One example of this is the city Manchester. This city grew so quickly because of several features of the area. One major factor was the amount of coal in the area. The coal was the mail power source for the engines and machines of the Revolution, so it was necessary for the major cities to have an abundance of coal. Manchester had one of the Revolution s goldmines of coal, sparking an enormous growth of buildings and a huge population increase.

Another vital characteristic of a large city was that it had an adequate supply of water. If the city didn t have water, the people would have a hard time surviving as water would need to be shipped in from somewhere else, a very inefficient way of living since water is incredibly heavy and difficult to transport. Manchester is near a river, yet another great quality of this city, and another reason why it became such a large and important city in the 1700’s.

Urbanization happened in Britain because of the new machines invented. These machines, running on coal, provided a wonderful opportunity for companies in cities such as Manchester, in which coal was abundant. The companies also wanted to keep the workers under a tighter schedule, making sure they got their work done, and that the products were done on time. These were but a few reasons why urbanization occurred in Britain.