RE: Ecuadorian-gold-and-copper-beasts-are-getting-too-big-to-ignore9 Aug 2025 19:04
Eloro - Anyone reading your post would think that only people living in the former colonies, suffered through slavery. In the UK people were serfs. peasants, and wage slaves, the latter right up until WWII. My Nan left home at 14 to work in service in London for 3 years. When she signed up for the training, those on the course were promised jobs in S. Wales, but the majority ended up in London. They worked from 05:30 to 23:30 for 6 days, with half day on Sunday. However, they had to go to church with the family, then bath and wash their clothes, so no rest on the half day. After 18 months of no pay, the rail fare to London was paid and after 3 years the return journey was also paid. In other words, no pay for the first 3 years and if they wanted to visit home afterwards, it would be another 18 months without pay. Any breakages had to be paid for and would extend this timescale. Some suffered physical violence and even rape by their employers. They were easily replaced and didn't have to be bought like slaves, so were often treated appallingly.
Watch the TV series Land of My Mother's and read the book, Not aJob for a Little Girl by R. Scadden.
The industrial revolution resulted in the loss of work on the land and people moving to cities to work in factories in vile conditions. Other's moved to new towns and villages, which sprung up through coal mining, working in even harsher conditions. Injury and death could result in the women and children having to move to work houses. Doesn't sound like a bed of roses for the majority of the people living in the UK.