Industrialisation

When there was an increase in food supplies in order to support a good number of non-producers of food, then the development of ancient cities was possible. Popular cities became the centres of the administrative networks, intellectual activity, political power, trade, religious institutions,  and industry that eventually supported different social groups such as merchants, artisans and priests. The work, life and leisure of the cities vary according to the industrial revolution of the city.

The structure of cities varies greatly in size and complexity or can be smaller urban centres with limited functions. Cities can be dense with the native and migrant population and centre of some necessary functions for the development of the city such as political and economic functions for an area. In this article, we will learn about work, life and leisure cities in the contemporary world.

Role of Industrialisation in the Shaping of the Cities in England

The centre of international trade and commerce in England was London at the time of the 18th and 19th centuries. London attracted merchants and traders from all over the globe. Although it did not have huge factories, it became a popular place for the migrant population.

Along with the dockyard other five main types of industries provided employment to a huge population of workers such as clothing and footwear, wood and furniture, metals and engineering, printing and stationery and precision products eg. watches, objects of costly metals and surgical instruments.

Impact of Industrialisation and Urbanization on Family Life in Britain

The function and shape of family life were transformed. The marriages tended to break down song the working class and family had broken down as the ties of relationship between the members of a family loosened.

In Britain, women who belonged to the upper and middle classes faced a higher level of isolation. The lives of these women became easier with help of domestic servants who cleaned, cooked and cared for young children on small wages. Those ladies lost their industrial jobs, they were withdrawn into their houses. Male presence increased in the public space.

Cleaning London

In order to reduce population, decongest localities, landscape the city and green the open-source several attempts were made. The rent control system was established to ease the effect of the severe shortage of housing during the First World War and large blocks of apartments were constructed. Congestion in the 19th-century industrial city was also responsible for the yearning for clean country air. To bridge the difference between city and countryside attempts were made through a few ideas such as the Green Belt around London. 

Benefits of London Tube Railway

The partially solved housing crisis was solved by the London underground railway as it carried a large population of people to and from the city. The city’s population gradually became quite dispersed. A better railway network and suburbs helped the population to travel to work and live outside Central London.

Transformation of Bombay into an Industrial City 

For cotton textiles from Gujarat, the central outlet was Bombay at that time. The Bombay city functioned as a port for the transportation of large quantities of raw materials such as cotton and opium in the 19th century. Soon, it also transformed into a popular administrative centre of west India, and later became a major industrial centre for the end of the 19th century. After the Maratha defeat in the Anglo-Maratha war, Bombay emerged as the capital of the Bombay Presidency in 1819. Large communities of traders, artisans, shopkeepers and bankers came to settle in Bombay with the growth of trade in cotton and opium. A fresh surge in migration was seen because of the establishment of the textile mills. 

Bombay - A City of Dreams

Bombay or Mumbai emerged as a city of dreams (MayanagariI despite massive overpopulation and difficult living conditions. People from film industries were moved from cities such as Madras, Lahore, Calcutta to Bombay. The films directed and filmed in the city have given contribution to creating an image of Bombay as a reality of slums and star bungalows and a blend of dreams. It has become the film capital of India that produces films for the audience at the national level by 1925. Some songs from films portrayed the contradictory aspects of the city such as CID (1956) and Guest House (1959).

Rent Act (Bombay)

The Rent Act was passed in (Bombay in 1918. Because the people migrated from different parts for the purpose of working in Bombay lived in a thickly populated building referred to as “Chawls”. Chawls were constructed in the native parts of the city and are multi-storeyed structures. The people were dealing with the problem of housing rents and rents of chawls. The Rent Act was passed to solve the problem of housing with the motive of keeping the rents reasonable. Since landlords withdrew houses from the market, it had the opposite effect of producing a severe housing crisis.

Causes of Air Pollution in Calcutta

The city development of India occurred at the expense of the environment and ecology. Calcutta (Kolkata) was also not an exception. The city got polluted because of the establishment of the industries as they used steam engines run on coal. The fog combined with smoke generated thick block fog because the city was built on marshy land. The railway line brought a new dangerous pollutant (coal from Raniganj) into the city in 1855. The high content of ash was creating problems in Indian coal.

Do you Know?

Durga Charan Ray wrote the novel “Debganer Martye Aagaman”  includes aspects of city life in the story of “ The Gods Visit Earth”.

Conclusion

We have seen through this article how the industrial revolution had impacted the cities in India and work, life and leisure cities in the contemporary world. The industrial revolution changed the lifestyle of people and created pollution. It strongly impacted the way of life across the globe. It had a huge impact on the migration of the population that shaped modern civilization.