The Condition of the Working Class in England · Character

The Irish

Displaced, desperate, and willing to work for less, they arrive in England's industrial cities and reshape the bottom of the labor market.

supporting

Also known as Irish

First appearance: Irish Immigration

As a supporting figure in The Condition of the Working Class in England, The Irish is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The Irish are identified as a major factor in the depression of wages and the worsening of living conditions for the English working class.

In the storyThe Condition of the Working Class in EnglandOpen this moment free

They are the cheapest hands in every unskilled trade, crowded into cellars and lodging-houses, their presence used by masters to drag English wages downward. Engels describes them as degraded by poverty and drink, yet he also sees them as the hot blood that inflames English workers into passion and revolt. Their competition is a wound, but their example is a spark, and the fusion of Irish and English misery becomes central to his account of class formation.

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Character Web

11 connections

A slice of how The Irish sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Psychological
Other

Character groups

Factory Critics and Irish Immigrants
Central Figures and Movements

+6 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the workers’ suffering…

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Relationships

The English
rivalry · negative
The English view the Irish as a competitive, disruptive labor force that lowers wages and… How this plays out →
Thomas Carlyle
psychological · negative

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See The Irish in Irish Immigration

In the story

The Irish appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Condition of the Working Class in England
The Irish are identified as a major factor in the depression of wages and the worsening of living conditions for the English working class.
The Great Towns
Irish families are noted as occupying damp cellars and crowded dwellings, contributing to the overcrowding and poor conditions in the slums.
Competition
Irish immigrants are noted as competitors who, by accepting lower standards, force down wages and the level of civilization of English workers.
Irish Immigration
The central subject of the chapter, depicted as a reserve army of labor, bringing 'brutal habits' and depressing wages through their willingness to live in extreme poverty.
Results
Irish immigration is noted for degrading English workers but also for deepening the chasm between workers and bourgeoisie, and for softening the English character.
Labour Movements
Their 'hot Irish blood' is noted as contributing to the passionate nature of the English working-class protest.
The Mining Proletariat
Imported as strike-breakers to restore competition among workers and collapse the strike.
The Agricultural Proletariat
Not explicitly mentioned in this chapter, but the context of agricultural labor and wage depression may relate to broader immigration themes.

Chapter companion notes

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See The Irish in Irish Immigration

See The Irish in The Condition of the Working Class in England