What were the social consequences of industrialization in Britain?

Industrialization in Britain, as in other European countries, facilitated the rise of the middle class. A new class emerged from wealthy owners of businesses, factories, and trade. Industrialization led to an increase in population and urbanization in which vast numbers of people relocated to urban centers to find employment. While the new middle class enjoyed wealth and economic advantages, members of the lower class were subject to dangerous working environments, low wages, and overcrowded living environments. Children, in particular, were exploited and made to work in factories before the onset of child labor laws. The circumstances of industrialization and urbanization caused the public to demand better social welfare, education, labor rights, and the abolition of the slave trade. This would later translate into political landmarks, including changing the electoral system through the Reform Bill of 1832, extending voting rights to non-landowners (women excluded).