Origin and characteristics of the proletary class in the industrial revolution: dehumanization of the work force

Abstract

In the transition of the feudal system to the capitalist formation –as a consequence of the Industrial revolution in the century of XVII-, something rises as life conditions that question inherent dignity of human, the labor class a subjugated class, exploded and abused for the particular interests of the owners of production factors. The introduction of the steam machine modified the standards of life in the old continent. This process, naturally, had a big impact of life quality of the workers that so far, worked land and handicrafts independent and with autonomy. At that time, hunger and epidemics were daily events for workers, who worked to survive harassed by productive greed of the bourgeois. These conditions along with the threat of eviction, punished even by the government, made the displaced peasants and craftsmen because of the machine, to sell their work force as salaried workers at the incipient factories located at the industrial zones of European cities. From this perspective, the objective of this investigation is to present a general shape of the conditions of the workers at the time as well as the historic moment and the characteristics in which the labor class arises with emphasis in the human component, the productive activity and the moments of historic transcendence.