Violent Protests
During the Industrial Revolution, due to the fact that they wanted change, people protested in various ways. By protesting using violence and destruction, some felt that was an easier way for them to be heard as the officials would have to attend the scene and pay the price. Through violent protests, there was more and faster reform. While some people didn’t attend work, others attacked buildings in order for them to be heard and seen. During the 1820’s, unemployment started to rise and many people were going broke, making the poor laws more prominent in society. This was due to the high population and also the increase of complexity in the technology, hence less workers needed to work at factories and other businesses. This helped the poor but also aggravated those who earned enough money but still had to pay the Poor Rates in order to help those in need. Fathers could no longer afford to feed their families with the low wage they were receiving which meant the Swing Riots were a perfect opportunity to demand higher wages, thus many people taking part in it. Men were earning far less than previously, dropping from 20-30 shillings per week to 4-5 shillings per week. They contested in more crimes, highlighted by the fact that rural crimes increased by 30% between 1824 and 1830. These crimes mainly consisted of food theft and poaching, because these people were so desperate to have some food on their plates. Although they weren't official trade unions, they were still groups of people who still had the same mindset which helped them to create greater power. These people threatened people and attacked the Justices of the Peace. The riots began in Kent and involved fires, machine breaking and other horrendous things to the buildings and people around them. The total damage costed about £121,600, highlighting how much damage people did and had to put themselves through so they would be noticed. The Swing Riots influenced reform because afterwards the Poor Law was mended in the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act. Ultimately, through violent protests people were able to make change, resulting in many new laws and acts because the government had to act fast before cities went into chaos.