The Formation Of Discipline In British Factories

The industrial revolution not only greatly changed people's mode of production,but also changed people's way of life.In the pre-industrial society,due to the low level of productivity,people's work and entertainment life is greatly subject to the natural conditions.In agricultural production,the change of four seasons and the change of day and night will have a decisive impact on agricultural production.People's working rhythm and working efficiency will also change with the cyclical change of natural conditions,there is a clear distinction between busy and slack seasons.In the industrial and commercial production of cities and towns,due to the limited market and raw materials,people have insufficient motivation to expand the production scale and improve the production efficiency.Manual producers have greater autonomy in the production process and can arrange production time flexibly.In the entertainment of the pre-industrial society,too,natural conditions must limit it.People's entertainment time is mainly concentrated in the evening and the slack season of the farm.Under the entertainment conditions and culture at that time,the entertainment mode of the pre-industrial society was relatively simple and extensive.However,in the industrial society,this inefficient and slow-paced production and life style has become an obstacle for the factory owners to expand production and increase profits,and has been attacked by the factory owners.In order to change the working and living habits of the workers and ensure the normal operation of the factory production,the discipline of the factory arises at the historic moment.By means of fines,dismissal,corporal punishment,economic incentives,education ideology and other means,the factory makes the workers strictly abide by the working hours and working norms stipulated by the factory,and develops the positive and enterprising working spirit of the workers.The formation of factory discipline was not only a change in working habits,but also a change in lifestyle and thinking mode,which was closely related to the development of urbanization and the change of social structure in Britain at that time.With the development and growth of the urban middle class,the conflict between the middle class culture and the worker culture is increasing,and the transformation of the worker culture has become an important social issue.Schools play a big role in this process,especially Sunday schools and voluntary education schools for childrenfrom working families.In addition,many social reform groups have criticized and restricted workers' vulgar forms of entertainment,such as drinking.In the process of urbanization,fixed working weeks are gradually formed,and the working hours of workers are becoming more and more regular.The recreation of workers in their spare time has also changed in the urban environment,gradually moving towards standardization,commercialization and civilization.