Historical+Background

During the 19th Century, England was going through the industrial revolution, political reform, religous troubles, and countless laws and acts were passed. " //The Industrial Revolution was a transformation of human life circumstancecs that occurred in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries (roughly 1760 to 1840) ... due in large measure to advances in the technologies of industry. The Industrial Revolution was characterized by a complex interplay of changes in technology, societty, medicine, economy, education, and cultur in which multiple technological innovations replaced human labor with mechanical work, replaced vegetable sources like wood with mineral sources like coal and iron, freed mechanical power from being tied to afixed running water source, and supported the injection of capitalistic practices, methods, and principles into what had been an agrarian society//." (New world Encyclopedia)

" //For many people, 19th-ceentury parliamentary reform was a disappointment because political power was still left in the hands of the aristocracy and the middle classes. ... By the time of the third Reform Act in 1884, Britain was less democratic than many other countries in europe. The changes made in the British Political system between 1832 and 1884 were nevertheless important. The electorate increased substantially in size from approximately 366,000 in Engeland and Wales in 1831 to slightly fewer than 8 million in 1885. Parliamentary seats were redistributed to give greater weight to larger towns and cities. Also, the ballot Act of 1872 which introduced secret ballots, made it far more difficult for voters to be bribed or intimidated. Moreover, Britain - unlike much of continental Europe in the 19th century - managed to introduce reform without revolution. This achievement contributed greatly to Britain's political stability in the 20th century//." (UK National Archives) Also, the 19th century brought about the popularity of urban life. As the big industries started to group together in towns, most of the workers found it easier to live closer by. All of the people living in such close quarters also brought along with them disease. Plagues and famines struck many urban areas during the industrialization.