In this master's thesis we will concentrate on the problem of child labour in Slovenian territory in the 19th century and we will put it in the wider context. As part of this, we will research how work was integrated into a child's life and how it influenced him/her. We will mostly deal with these questions: what kind of work the children encountered, which industries they worked in and what their working day was like. It is necessary to point out that child labour took place in factories, crafts and mines, as well as on farms. Especially the latter was strongly present as the historical lands inhabited by Slovenes had a fairly high share of the farming population in the European context. Due to the change in the perception of a child and due to the inhumane working conditions, as well as due to the concern for the physical and psychological health of the children, many regulations and laws were introduced in the Habsburg Monarchy which tried to limit child labour. A major change regarding restrictions was the introduction of compulsory primary schooling which changed the view of child labour and the position of working children. An insight into child labour in Slovenian territory is provided by archival sources, which are fragmentary in some cases, as well as testimonies and memories, which are a subjective source and thus do not show the entire social context and dimensions of the problem.
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