Question

Give three reasons why the population of London expanded from the middle of the eighteenth century.

Answer 1

By 1750, the population of London was about 675,000. Its population, however, continued to expand. Between 1810 and 1880 it increased from 1 million to about 4 million. ”  

The reasons for this increase were as given below :

• Migrant populations: London was a powerful magnet for migrant populations. Even though it did not have large factories. Historian Gareth Stedman Jones says, “Nineteenth-century London was a city of clerks and shopkeepers, of small masters and skilled artisans, of a growing number of semi-skilled and sweated out workers, of soldiers and servants, of casual labourers, street sellers and beggars”.
• Dockyards and industries: Apart from the London dockyards, there were five major industries – clothing and footwear, wood and furniture, metals and engineering, printing and stationery, and precision products such as surgical instruments, watches, and objects of precious metal. These industries attracted large number of people.
• World War I: During the First World War (1914-18) London began manufacturing motor cars and electrical goods. The number of large factories increased and ultimately they accounted for nearly one-third of all jobs in the city.

Answer 2

Answer:

The city of London was a powerful magnet for migrant populations. It was a city of clerks,shopkeepers, skilled and semi-skilled artisans, soldiers, servants and beggars. It was the city of classes as well as masses. (ii) Apart from London dockyards, five major types of industries employed large number of workers.