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Political reform

A place, an object, an everyday problem. Find a small story that opens up a bigger picture.

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A Shorter Working Day? What Factory Laws Changed for Children

When: Industrial Revolution
Where: Great Britain

A law could shorten a shift on paper. Changing a child’s day required inspectors, age certificates, school attendance and decisions inside the factory. Follow what changed—and what the rulebook could not settle.

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Organization

A Shilling a Week: How Early Trade Unions Built Collective Power

When: Industrial Revolution
Where: Great Britain

A weekly subscription could support a sick worker, connect distant branches and sustain a dispute. Follow the machinery of early British trade unions—and the boundaries of the solidarity they built.

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Event

Peterloo 1819: How a Crowd Demanding a Voice Met the Cavalry

When: Industrial Revolution
Where: Great Britain

A crowd gathered in Manchester to demand a political voice. Cavalry turned the meeting into violence. Follow the decisions, compare two eyewitness perspectives and see why the struggle over Peterloo’s meaning outlasted the day.

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