Context of A Christmas Carol - Industry and Population

Industry and Population
The Industrial Revolution replaced men with machines, which meant that many people lost their jobs; both in the countryside and the towns and cities.
This caused people from the country to move into cities like London, which quickly became overpopulated.
Many families ended living in extreme poverty or destitution.
In a short space of time, London's population grew from under 1 million inhabitants to 4.5 million.
London struggled to cope with the overpopulation, and became squalid (extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect).

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