Terrible conditions led to social reforms.
James McNeill Whistler/Wikimedia Commons
James McNeill Whistler/Wikimedia Commons
Several decades of terrible treatment of workers slowly led to a campaign of social reform. Several acts — known as Factory Acts — limited the number of hours that women and children could work. That said, children still made up a significant percentage of the workforce.
The era also saw prison reform and the establishment of police forces. These reforms did improve conditions for ordinary people, but any large-scale attempts at unionizing or organizing were quelled until the very tail end of the Victorian era.