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Year 9

The Industrial Revolution and urban migration

I can describe changes in Britain's population and assess the quality of living and working conditions in new industrial cities.

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New
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Year 9

The Industrial Revolution and urban migration

I can describe changes in Britain's population and assess the quality of living and working conditions in new industrial cities.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The population of Britain more than doubled between 1750 and 1841.
  2. Many people moved from the countryside to industrial towns like Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
  3. Many people in industrial towns lived in poor conditions.
  4. Working conditions in factories were dangerous and unpleasant.
  5. Cotton mills commonly employed chiildren as workers.

Keywords

  • Urban - an urban area is a town or city

  • Rural - a rural area is in the countryside

  • Migrated - people who have migrated have moved from one area to another

  • Unsanitary - if conditions are unsanitary they are dirty and likely to damage people’s health

  • Exploitative - if something is exploitative it involves treating others unfairly, in a way that helps make money for you but could harm others

Common misconception

The Industrial Revolution led to a decline in living conditions across all parts of Britain.

The decline in living conditions during the Industrial Revolution was generally confined to industrial towns and their poorest areas.


To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: The Industrial Revolution and urban migration, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Ask students at the end of the lesson why so many people continued to migrate to industrial towns and cities despite the poor conditions there. This will help consider factors such as relative opportunity between rural and urban areas.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each key word with its correct definition.
Correct Answer:industrial,economic activity involving manufacturing of goods
tick

economic activity involving manufacturing of goods

Correct Answer:mill,a factory equipped with machinery for manufacturing
tick

a factory equipped with machinery for manufacturing

Correct Answer:urban,relating to towns and cities
tick

relating to towns and cities

Q2.
Write the missing word. Mills were usually located next to rivers so that they could exploit power.
Correct Answer: water, Water
Q3.
What was the impact of the Bridgewater Canal on coal prices in Manchester?
Correct answer: prices fell
price remained the same
prices rose
Q4.
How long did most cotton mills operate their cotton spinning machines for?
9 hours per day
12 hours per day
18 hours per day
Correct answer: 24 hours per day
Q5.
Which situation is likely to lead to largest spread of disease?
many people being distanced over an area
few people being distanced over an area
Correct answer: many people being close together in an area
few people being close together in an area
Q6.
How did the use of the water frame and steam engines in cotton manufacturing affect the wages of cotton workers?
wages increased
wages remained the same
Correct answer: wages decreased

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. During the Industrial Revolution, cities grew as many people moved from areas.
Correct Answer: rural, Rural
Q2.
How much did Glasgow's population grow by between 1750 and 1841?
grew over twice as large
grew over three times as large
Correct answer: grew over four times as large
grew over five times as large
Q3.
Which type of worker was cheapest for mill owners to employ?
Correct answer: children
skilled women
unskilled men
unskilled women
Q4.
Starting with the lowest, sort the following areas according to their death rates in the 1830s.
1 - rural areas
2 - urban areas
3 - Glasgow
Q5.
Why did J C Symons describe the houses in the Wynds of Glasgow as 'lairs'?
they were used by criminal gangs
Correct answer: they were dirty and overcrowded
they were difficult to find in the city
Q6.
Which judgement about the laws concerning child labour passed in 1825 and 1833 is most accurate?
Correct answer: exploitation of child labour continued
exploitation of child labour was ended
exploitation of child labour became even worse

Additional material

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