The Working Class before the Industrial Revolution
Engels is concerned about comparing his contemporary working class to that which preceded the Industrial Revolution. These ancestors, he posits, were better off with their inferior technology. Although they lacked some time, they lived in much better conditions and made better wages for their work. Engels notes the higher life expectancy of the previous generation and how industrialization must be responsible.
The Working Class of Engels's Day
Engels witnessed the deplorable poverty of the working class and was compelled to say something. He analyzes the life expectancy and causes of death for the working class only to learn that industrialization has very adverse effects on the health of factory workers in particular, not to mention the contact spread of disease because of close living quarters of over-populated cities. To Engels, these people are victims of technology who need to be avenged and promoted.
