Wuthering Heights - Socio-His essays

Wuthering Heights - Socio-His essays Wuthering Heights - Socio-Historical Background Wuthering Heights During the nineteenth century England experienced a flood of migrants into the capital city of London-330,000 to be exact. Of these 330,000, 46,000 came from Ireland to escape famine and, ultimately, death. Migrants continued to take over the city and by the year 1881, London"s population had increased from one million to about 4.5 million. Unemployed workers swarmed the city in hopes to find jobs in the new industrialized economy. Development flourished in London; the invention of trams, underground and overground railways meant shorter journeys to the workplace. This new industry drew people from all parts of the world and soon caused severe overcrowding. Areas of London that were once the "wealthy" areas of society became the "slums" and made up what is now referred to as public housing. Along with the emergence of this "industrial revolution" came a class- conscious society. The hierarchy of London broke down into four major classes- the aristocrats, the middl e class, the working class, and the poor class. The new London would benefit the wealthy and the middle class but exploit and oppress the working and poor classes. Although the Industrial Revolution benefited the overall economy of England and other parts of the world, it also caused an eruption of pollution, poverty, and crime. In the factories, workers were kept for long hours, worked under hazardous conditions, and received low wages. They often times had no money to support their families, so many were reduced to shoplifting, robbery, and sometimes drugs and alcohol to escape the daily trials of lower class life. There was an increase in crime patterns amongst the poor people of England, and a new law enforcement emerged. In 1829 the Metropolitan Police was created to enforce the law and punish those who decided to break it. Eventually the crime rate declined, and life in England became safer. The Pa ...