pp. 97-144 [ch.18-26]
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2:30 PM
Page 118
SECTION 2
THE WORLD OF CITIES
TEXT SUMMARY
The spread of the Industrial Revolution
brought change, especially to the cities
of the world. Populations grew rapidly in
the 1800s. (See diagram below.) The
boom came because people were living
longer. New farming methods meant better diets. Medical discoveries slowed
death rates. French scientist Louis
Pasteur showed that germs cause disease.
In England, Joseph Lister found
that antiseptics kill germs.
T H E BIG I D E A
Better health habits and cleaner
The population of
hospitals brought a drop in discities grew as peoease, infections, and death.
ple moved to urban
As workers moved from farms
centers for jobs.
to factories, cities took on a new
look. Department stores and
offices lined streets and public
squares. In the late 1800s, American
builders put up very tall steel-framed
buildings called skyscrapers. New sewers made cities healthier places. First gas
and then electric street lights made them
safer. Trolley lines meant people could
live miles from their jobs. The rich moved
to fine homes on the edge of town. The
poor crowded into slums near the city
center. There they lived in run-down tenement buildings near the factories. In
spite of crowds and high crime rates, people kept moving to cities. They came for
the music halls, parks, libraries, and most
of all for the jobs.
Many city factories were unsafe and
unhealthy. Men, women, and children
worked long hours for low pay. By the late
1800s, labor unions were legal in most
western nations. They called for new laws
to improve conditions, limit work hours,
and end child labor.
GRAPHIC SUMMARY: Western Populations in the Late
1800s
Population of the United States
Population of Great Britain
80 million
45 million
60 million
35 million
25 million
40 million
15 million
20 million
5 million
1801 1821 1841 1861 1881 1901
1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900
YEAR
YEAR
Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1996
Chronology of the Modern World, 1763-1992
The Industrial Revolution brought rapid population growth.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What was one way the industrial
revolution improved city life?
What was one way it made city life
worse?
118
2. Diagram Skills What happened
to the populations of the United
States and Great Britain in the late
1800s?
Survey Edition CHAPTER 22/Modern Era Edition CHAPTER 9
Guide to the Essentials
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