Second Industrial Revolution
Let’s explore the following image:
Brainstorm
What do you think?
Let’s brainstorm about the photo. Respond to the following questions:
- What observations can you make about this image and description?
- Can you form any conclusions?
Record your ideas in a notebook or in a method of your choice.
The revolution
The Second Industrial Revolution began in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
What changed from the First Industrial Revolution to the Second Industrial Revolution was greater use of machinery, a moving assembly line, larger factories, and more time expected of the workers.
Urbanized means to become more city-like in structure.
Industries such as rail, steel, automobile, and goods produced in factories would change the economy. The railroad was also vital, transporting goods and workers from one part of the country to another.
Press the following tabs to learn the changing conditions of the Second Industrial Revolution.
The increasing use of machines that came with the Second Industrial Revolution created a demand for more workers. Skilled workers and labourers began to come into Canada from Central, Southern, and Eastern Europe. Ukrainian, Polish, and Italian people
migrated to Canada to fill the shortages in these sectors. All of these workers were drawn into the city where most of the industrial activity was found.
Ontario and Quebec became the heart of the industrial activity, where the industry had already been established much earlier. More natural resources, such as coal, oil, gas, and metals, were extracted to help fuel the manufacturing boom in Canada. Extraction
of these resources often occurred on Indigenous Peoples’ lands, usually without their consent.
Work in the factories was standardized and regulated. This means that all workers had the same experiences. They could now rely on a steady income and consistent work hours.
Large factories could employ hundreds or even thousands of workers. These factories had strict rules and regulations, as well as harsh punishments for those who failed to follow them. Factories were often dangerous,
unsanitary, and often cramped. Accidents were common.
Many of the accidents were due to the fact that working hours were often long, and people did not have many breaks, so they became tired and hungry while working. Many factories had a workforce that included many women
and children.
Learning check!
For each statement, choose if it is a cause or a consequence of industrialism in Canada.
Cause: the reason an action or event occurs.
Consequence: an action or event that happens in response to that cause.
Select the correct answer, then press ‘Check Answer’ to see how you did.
Now, pick one of the statements that was a consequence. List the impact that the consequence had on Canada and/or the workers.
Record your ideas in a notebook or in a method of your choice.
Labour movement
The Industrial Revolution changed the lives of many working Canadians. The conditions of the factories remained dangerous and harsh, causing some workers to begin to question these conditions.
The labour movement in Canada helped these workers. They fought for better working conditions, shorter hours, equal pay, worker’s rights, the right to organize, and the right for workers to defend their interest.
The Nine Hour Movement
In 1872, a Toronto Trade Union demanded a nine-hour workday from the city’s print publishers.
A trade union is an association created for workers in one area of work that protects their rights and interests.
The typical working day in the early Industrial period for this group lasted a minimum of ten or more hours a day, every day. The employers refused to change their workday and the printers walked off the job on March 25, 1872.
They were soon joined by a crowd of 10,000 supporters at a rally at Queen’s Park on April 15th. However, in those days, union activity was considered a criminal act and the owner of the Toronto Globe, George Brown, had the strike committee
arrested.
This strike became known as the Nine Hour Movement. Eventually, the introduction of the Trade Union Act occurred on April 18, 1872. This act legalized and protected unions.
These worker movements would continue to occur through the late 1800s. It helped to convince workers that joining unions would help them fight for better conditions and working life.
Inquiry
Inquiry is a multi-step process used to formulate questions, gather, organize, and analyse information, evaluate, draw conclusions, and communicate results.
Although the stages are not always done in the same order, this graphic from the Ontario Ministry of Education provides a summary of these steps. Examine the diagram to explore how the steps relate.
This image includes gears with the following topics: interpret and analyze, gather and organize, formulate questions, evaluate and draw conclusions, and communicate. Interpret and Analyze: Analyze the data, evidence, and information,
using different types of graphic organizers as appropriate. Gather and Organize: Collect and organize relevant data, evidence, and/or information from primary and secondary sources and/or field studies. Formulate Questions: Formulate
questions related to the applicable overall expectation in order to identify the focus of their inquiry. Evaluate and Draw conclusions: Synthesize data, evidence, and/or information, and make informed, critical judgements based
on that data, evidence, and/or information. Communication: Communicate judgements, decisions, conclusions, predictions, and/or plans of action clearly and logically.
1. Choose one of the following topics to further explore:
- Child Labour in Canada – what led to the end of Child Labour in Canada?
- Ontario Factory Act of 1884 – did this change any of the conditions of factory work?
- Henry Ford and the Assembly Line – how is the assembly line a symbol of industrialism?
2. Use a variety of reputable resources to research more information about your selected topic.
3. Present your research using a method of your choice.
4. Review the following interactive checklist:
