TRIPURA Class 10 History Revision Notes for Work, Life and Leisure: Cities in the Contemporary World

Life and Leisure Cities in the Contemporary World

Modern cities developed only about 200 years ago. The rise of industrial capitalism, colonialism and the development of democratic ideas in the mid-eighteenth century were three factors which shaped the modern cities in the world

Rise of London

London has been one of the most prominent cities of Britain. By 1750, its population was 675,000 with many people still migrating to the city. Five major industries in London—clothing and footwear, wood and furniture, metals and engineering, printing and stationery,and precision objects employed many people in London.During the First World War, motor cars and electrical goods also began to be manufactured.

Marginal Groups in London

• Becausemany people migrated to London, it was estimated that about 20,000 criminals were living in the city in the 1870s.Their activities were watched and investigated by the police.
• According to Henry Mayhew, most criminals were poor people who used to steal food from shops, lead from roofs and the hemp of coal for filling their empty stomachs.
• Apart from these, there were also thugs, tricksters, pickpockets and other thieves who lived in the cities.
• To reduce the number of these crimes, the Government imposed high penalties and offered work to those who stole to fulfil their necessities.
• There were a large number of women working in factories, but they began to losetheir jobs after technological developments. They were limited to household forms of work.
• According to the census of 1861, there were about a quarter of a million domestic servants in London. Most of them were women who had migrated to the city.
• Many children were employed in low-paid forms of workby poor parents. It was only after the CompulsoryElementary Education Act was passed in 1870 and the Factory Acts that employing children became illegal.

Housing and Hygiene

• Migrants who arrived in London mostly had to live in cheap and unsafe tenements. Most of the workforce were poor and lived in dangerous situations in unsafetenements.
• The well-to-do section of societywanted slumsto be completely erased to the ground. 
• Gradually, people began to realise the need for better housing facilities for their workers. This was due to the following reasons:
  o Overcrowding of one-room tenementswas seen as a health hazard for the public.
  o Fire hazards were created by poor housing.
  o After the Russian Revolution, to avoid the uprising of workers, the need for housing for the poor was realised.Many workers migrated to London in search of work opportunities
• Many steps were taken to clean London. Steps were taken to decongest the localities, to plant more trees, reduce pollution and change the landscape of the city.
• Many wealthy families began to move to the countryside for a few days to get clean air.
• Raymond Unwin and Barry Parker designed the garden city of New Earswick. It was laid with garden spacesand had good views. However, only well-off workers could afford houses in the city.
• During 1919–39, the Government built houses for the working class. London further expanded and a need was felt for a transportsystem.
  
  
  

Transportin the City

• The London Underground Railway solved the issue of commuting to and fro from houses to factories. By 1880,the expanding train service was carrying about 40 million passengers a year.
• However, the railways also led to the creation of waste in the city.To make two miles of railways, 900 houses had to be destroyed.
• The railways however became a huge success. Planned suburbs and the large railway network helped people to travel to London from the suburbs.
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Social Changes in the City

• As the industrial city of London emerged, bonds shared among family members began to weaken.
• The new city created a spirit of individualism among men and women.
• As women began to losetheir jobs because oftechnological advancement, they were mostlyengaged in householdwork. Thus, the public space became more of a sphere of men.
• It was later that women also came out of their houses to demand the right to vote and the right to property for married women.
• During the two World Wars, women again stepped into the public domain and began to work in officesand business units.The family now became a much smaller unit.

Leisure and Entertainment in the City

• London was beaming with many cultural events such asthe opera, theatreand performance of classical music.
• Pubs were frequented by the working class to spend some free time,to discuss office work and to exchange news.
• Libraries, art galleries and museums were set up to instila sense of pride among the people.
• By the early twentieth century, cinema became a great source of entertainment for the people.
• Many workers were also encouraged to spend their time near the seashore.
  
  
  

Development of Bombayin India

• Bombay was a group of seven islands in the seventeenth century. It was presented as a dowry to the British by the Portuguese in 1661 when King Charles II married a Portuguese princess.
• The  East  India  Company then  shifted  its  base  from  Surat  to Bombay.
• Bombay  soon  became  an  important  administrative  and  industrial centrein western India.
• In 1854, the first cotton mill was set up in Bombay. The number of mills increased to 85 by 1921. A large number of workers came to the city in search of employment.
• The railways also carried thousands of workers into the city.