The way people worked and the nature of their interaction with society was one of the fundamental changes brought about by the demands of the Industrial Revolution. To exploit the advantages obtained from the division of labor and the scale of production it was necessary for people to work together in large groups. This new paradigm of collective labor under the factory system had no contemporary parallels, except for the working conditions of slaves who also worked in large groups. An examination of the lives of workers and slaves shows that there are many similarities between the way slaves were managed and the management of industrial workers. The very nature of large group administration required a similar organizational structure to effectively manage a larger scale operation. Although industrial workers were not subjected to the true hardships of slavery, working conditions were often grueling and full of real dangers in the early decades of industrialization. (Misa, 2011, page 90). In fact, the working conditions of industrial workers in Europe were such that some slaves in the southern United States appeared to be better off. Comparing the daily lives of industrial workers and slaves is quite fascinating. Looking at two documents from that era Plantation Management, a set of rules for directing overseers written by a wealthy plantation owner, and Factory Rules, an early employee manual, we can see many similarities in the schedule and management of industrial and slave workers. . Both had to stick to a rigorous schedule. Getting up early in the morning and working until late at night (Berlin Factory Rules 1844). Both worked in groups under the direct supervision of an overseer or foreman (Berlin Factory Rules 1844).......middle of paper......their lives and those of their children improved thanks to their work but as slaves he had no way of improving his lot. Slavery and industrial workers have similarities because of the need for hierarchy when managing large groups of people. Living with that hierarchy is part of the price that must be paid to obtain the benefits of industrialization. However, in the long run, the compromise has proven to give more freedom than ever to people at all levels of society. The organizational structure of slaves and industrial workers is similar due to the nature of collective work. Having a group of people working together means they need to be supervised and motivated to combat the free rider problem. This causes a stratification of society between labor and management, but the benefits that this hierarchy allows far outweigh its costs.