(a) Explain the social changes in London which led to the need for the Underground Railway.
[CBSE 2009 (O), Sept. 2010,2011] (b) Why was the development of the Underground Railway criticized?
Answers
Explanation:
1.Social change which led to the need of the underground railway was mainly industrialization was the major factor responsible for urbanization in London. London continued to expand and its population multiplied fourfold. Due to this, city had extended beyond the range where people could walk to work.
2.The development of the underground railway in London criticised because the railways also led to the creation of waste in the city. To make two miles of railways, 900 houses had to be destroyed. The London underground railway thus led to a massive displacement of the London poor, especially between the two World Wars.
The development of suburbs as a part of the drive to decongest London led to the extension of the city beyond the range where people could walk to work. Though these suburbs had been built, the people could not be persuaded to leave the city and stay far away from their places of work in the absence of some form of public transport. The Underground railway was constructed to solve this housing problem. It was criticized intially because: A newspaper reported the danger to health and asphyxiation (lack of air) and heat. It was referred to as iron monsters, which added to the mess of the city. Charles Dickens in ‘Dombey and Son’ described its destructive process in construction. About 900 houses were destroyed to make two miles of railways.