Tag: work, life and leisure

Andrew Mearns, a clergyman who wrote 'The Bitter Cry of Outcast London' in 1880s, showed why crime was more profitable than labouring in small underpaid factories.

London became the world's largest city from about 1831 to 1925. Rising traffic on the city roads led to the creation of the world's first metro system. Because of this rapid growth, London became one of the first cities in human history to reach a population of one million, and was the first ever to surpass five million.

The London underground railway partially solved the housing crisis by carrying large masses of people to and from the city. The very first section of the Underground rail in the world opened on 10 January 1869 between Paddington and Farrington Street in London. Initially, 10,000 passengers used this railway system. In 1880 the expanded train service carried 40 million passengers a year.

As London grew, crime flourished. Almost 20000 criminals were living in London in the 1870s. The police were worried about law and order, Philanthropists were anxious about public morality.

The Singapore government passed a legislature restricting people from migration into the city. As the city was over populated the government felt that more people would lead to crisis. The government also provided with housing for the existing citizens and ensured their safety and well being.

In 1887, Charles Booth conducted the first social survey of low-skilled London workers in the East End of London. He found that as many as 1 million Londoners were very poor and were expected to live only up to an average age of 29.

The rent control Act of 1918 was passed in the Bombay Presidency. It was passed to keep the rent under control as the private landlords charged high rents from the poor migrants and provided them with low-quality housing. This Act was not successful as it created a housing crisis and houses were not available for the migrants and they were put to a lot of hardship.

During the First World War London began manufacturing motor cars and electric goods, and the number of large factories increased until they accounted for nearly one-third of all jobs in the city.

Libraries, art galleries and museums were established in the nineteenth century to provide people with a sense of history and pride in the British achievements.