Examine the social conditions in mid to late eighteenth century Britain

A detailed Summary of Examine the social conditions in mid to late eighteenth century Britain

The decision to colonise New South Wales in the late 18th century was influence by a number of social and political situations, which developed throughout Britain in the 18th century.

The British society was dramatically changing due to the Industrial Revolution, soaring birth rates and higher age of death.

The dramatic rise in the birth rate led to a lot of people being unable to find work and in desperation turning to crime.

In 1776, Britain lost America as a colony and also a place to send their convicts. British jails were in desperate ruin and ran in appalling condition. They were also overflowing and Britain needed to find a way to accommodate all the prisoners.

The Industrial Revolution took place primarily between 1750 - 1850. It was a time of dramatic change in Britain. Due to the increase in national wealth, generated by economic growth the gap between rich and poor was becoming wider. 'Many wealthy people took the convenient view that this social order had been ordained by God and should not be interfered with.'

People before the Industrial Revolution manufactured goods in their own home, which was gradually phased out by factories. This meant for some a job in a factory under very harsh conditions and fo

Jails in the 18th century Britain were decaying around the prisoners. Most of them had been built hundreds of years before and were not equipped to hold so many prisoners. There was no segregation between prisoners, women were thrown in with men, 12-year-old boys were with homosexual rapists. Nobody cared about prisoners, they were in jail for punishment, not reform.

Britain decided to colonise New South Wales because of desperate social conditions. The conditions of the British society in the 18th Century were one of desperation and despair for the poor. The Industrial Revolution brought about many changes in the way the society was structured. Some of these changes were for the good - others were not. Because the changes evolved so quickly, Britain had little way of handling the problems. The rich were getting richer and the poor were living in squalor, fighting to survive. Laws had been brought out to protect the property of the rich - many resulting in capital conviction, which were commuted to transportation. After losing America in 1776 as a place to send their convicts, Britain started to experience overflowing jails. The amount of convicts waiting for transportation forced Britain's hand to make a decision on where to send their convicts. Finally Britain made the de

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Approximate Word count = 872
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History